Along Came A Spider: Parts 1-4

by Verthril


Disclaimer : Marvel owns the X-men and Spiderman, I'm just borrowing them.

Author's Note: This is the sequel to my fic Explosive Combination, formerly chapter thirteen through to fifteen. But I had always been meaning to break the two off as they are both two different story archs of the alternate universe I had created. So, here we have it, I've finally gotten around to breaking the two apart, and for those of you who have been reading Explosive Combination, the latest chapter will have been uploaded with the creation of this story.

Chapter One : Enter the Spider

Jubilee sat on top of the gargoyle, keeping a watch over the streets below. Ever since their return to Earth, they had quickly left the X-men for what they called a 'Vacation'. In truth, it was time for them to clear their heads and let the dust settle from the sudden change in the lifestyles they had lived for so long. Saving the Multiverse did tend to leave one flustered, while too being sent across the Universe to the Shi'ar Empire was a little less out of their normal routine of theft. Indeed, now was time for them to gather their wits, but it was by no means time for them to get lax or out of practice.

Finally her mark emerged from the crowd, walking with the confidance of one whom owned the night. He was a tall man, middle-aged and with a dignity that came of the wealthy and powerful. He was a man who had his hands involved in many of the underworld rackets, from extortion to outright assasination of whomever would raise enough currency for the job. A wry grin passed over Jubilee's face as she thought of the shock he was in for. Flipping from her perch on the stone gargoyle, she let gravity propel her ever closer to the ground as the line whipped furiously through her grasp, giving enough tension to add a fine degree of control over her periously decent.

Giving a sharp tug on the line, she slowed her decent at a gradual rate, finally slowing to a crawl a few stories before reaching the shadowy alley below. Just as she had anticipated, her mark turned the corner and entered the alley and stood waiting, unknowing of her presence. Off further down the alleyway, the lights of a van flashed to life, causing her mark to squint as he attempted to ward his eyes with a hand poised over them. Two men emerged from the van and made their way to the man, standing before him in the path of the van, their shadows creeping past the alley.

"You have the money?" The man asked, as he looked to the two men who had emerged from the van.

"No, but we have a message. No one encroaches upon the territory of the Nimbrii without paying dues. You have not shown proper respect. Good night Mr. Eves." The one man said coldly as he pulled a 9 mm from his jacket and took aim.

Shock filled Jubilee's eyes. Remy's sources had not spoken of this betryal or assassination. She couldn't just let this lowlife die, even before her change of professions her and Remy had gone to extreme measures to avoid even bruising whomever got in their way upon a heist. Now she stood in the shadows, the only person whom could save the life of a man who otherwise should be dead, yet was to face proper Justice for his crimes. With a focused thought, the gun the man had drawn began to sputter with plasmoids erupting from it. With no warning, the weapon suddenly exploded in the hand of the man, shock evident on his face.

"How did you do that!" The other man from the van yelled as he pulled his own gun, a .357 magnum.

"My secrets are mine alone." Mr. Eves remarked with false bravado, hoping to bluff his way out of this hostile situation.

"Secrets my ass! Lets see ya try that again!" The man yelled as he cocked his weapon.

Suddenly from the shadows a spraying noise intermingled with a hiss echoed as a white line shot out at the gun, encasing it in a glob of quickly solidifying white goo. The men looked up in fear, having recognized the webbing that had just been shot at them, knowing all too well the nightly guardian of the streets of Manhattan. They broke into a dash for the van, with the latter of the two only to be stopped as he ran out of slack on the line of webbing attacked to his gun hand.

"I'm always the death of the party despite my absolutely wonderful demanor." The Crimson clad man called out with a mocking nature to his tone as he swung down on a line and landed a kick into the back of the other gunman.

"Spiderman!" The man exclaimed as he looked up in terror.

"Remind me to thank my publicist, they're doing a bang up job at getting my name around." Spiderman remarked as he hefted the man into the air, sending a strand of webbing about him as he tied him up, leaving him hung to a lamp pole.

"Remind me to thank my taxidermist! I'll have your head over my mantle!" Mr. Eves cried out as he pulled a pistol from his jacket and took aim at Spiderman and fired, leading his shot where he figured he would leap out of the way as the infamous 'Spidersense' called warning.

The bullet ripped from the barrel, screaching out at it's target with the indiscriminate malice of an enraged Kodiak. A look of panic fell over the wallcrawler as his spider sense raged on all too late at the new danger. A look of shock fell over him as the bullet exploded into an eruption of multicoloured lights and streamers, dispelling the shadows of the alleyway. More shots were fired, all meeting similar fates to the ones prior. In a fit of rage Mr. Eves threw the empty revolver at Spiderman and ran, only to have his feet encased in a strand of webbing, locking him to place on the street below.

Spiderman looked about in disbelief of what had just happened, an unknown force saving his life from what might have been a truly horrid mistake. Suddenly his Spidersense cried out a danger behind him, leaving him reacting on instinct and the adrenline coursing through his system. Spinning around, he sent two strands of webbing flying out at the petite figure that had dropped from the ledge above, leaving her trapped and tied to a dumpster.

"Jeez lousie! This how you thank me for saving your life ya web head!" Jubilee cried out as she sent a look of utter malice at him.

"Whoa there lil girl, your the one that did that?" Spiderman asked as he walked closer to Jubilee, making a truly horrid mistake for the second time within such a short time.

Once more the Spidersense raged, yet to no avail as his costume erupted in a flash of multi-coloured lights. Falling to his knees disorientated, he didn't have time to reacte to the sharp kick to his stomach that was lauched from beyond the dancing lights before his eyes. Relying on his Spidersense as his eyes, he blocked the next volley of kicks and punches and soon had his assailant on the ground and pinned.

As his vision returned, he found the petite Asian girl underneath him glaring daggers at him, looking as if at any moment she would explode. From the shadows a chuckle soon emerged, echoing all about the alley until it surpassed all and seemed as if it came from every shadow.

"Lesson one, don ever call de P'tite little girl. Ya seen de reason for dat, non?" The silky voice called out with a Cajun accent, mocking in it's tone.

Slowly a pair of demon eyes emerge from the shadows, followed by the lithe figure walking with a grace that could only belong to one man, one Remy LeBeau. Bo staff twirling casually, he took to leaning against the lightpole from which one of the gunman was helplessly strung from, looking to the pair on the ground.

"Remy, get him off me or I'll paff ya!" Jubilee cried out in an indignant tone, too ired to be able to grasp the control needed for a focused effort of her powers, and with her hands pinned, rather helpless.

"Eh? Why not ask de Spideyman nicely if he let you up, non?" Remy remarked as he gave a wink to Spiderman.

"Ooooo. Fine! Let me up ya webhead before I cool down enough to paff ya into Brooklyn!" Jubilee cried out, looking to the now tattered costume of one Peter Parker.

Suddenly aware of the shape his costume was in, he quickly leapt off Jubilee with his spider-like agility and clung to a wall in the shadows. His secret identity had nearly been comprimised, and with the looks of his two 'saviors', he didn't honestly wish to find out what sort of trust he could place in them. Leaping to the rooftops, he sat in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to shoot a tracer on the pair as they left, curious as to their intentions.

Jubilee looked to the shadows, then gave a sigh as she crawled to her feet and cast a glare in return to the wry grin that had fallen across Remy's face. As she looked around, she pulled out her scanner and checked the frequencies, listening to see if the police had been dispatched.

"De Police be on dere way, we best be getting out of here. Looks like we be keeping ourselves hidden with de help of a little Spider, non?" Remy remarked as he ushered Jubilee to his awaiting bike.

"Yeah yeah, keep it quite and work from behind the scenes. Ya know, we've been doing this fer two months now and we don't get any credit for the good we do. Kinda sucks, yet then again unlike the Web head or the X-geeks, we don't got the Supervillian of the month knocking on our doors so I shouldn't complain." Jubilee whined in a low tone as she climbed onto the back of the bike.

From the shadows, Spiderman quickly shot a tracer onto the bike and then took his exit, knowing he should return home with haste for a new costume. With a last glance to the mysterious pair, a wry grin all his own passed over his lips, knowing that it would be a mystery he would rather enjoy unravelling.






Peter finally returned to his apartment, crawling in via the fire escape and making his way to his room. Stripping down his old costume, he looked to it and with the zeal of a scientist set to examining the damage. Staring at the read out on his computer screen, he was amazed to find out that the damage carried on down to the very molecular level of the suit, showing no tearing, fraying or burns that might occur with any of the other regular damage that happned to his previous suits. Was this girl one of the 'Mutants' that were constantly making headlines in the newspapers? Or was she more akin to what he was, a superhuman due to circumstances beyond their own control. Whatever the situation, next time he promised to be far more diplomatic in his approach, and too being sure not to be patronizing.

With a few more keystrokes, he brought up a map of the city and let the tracer icon flash away, revealing itself to now be in the downtown sector. A few more keystrokes enhanced the map, bring it to the point where it displayed the junction of streets. With a general area to focus on, he could now use his portable unit to pinpoint where the duo were staying, but first he still had his costume to attend to, as well as a shower. Slipping out of the rest of the tattered costume, he made his way to the bathroom.






Jubilee stared at the television screen, making faces at Trish Tilby as she gave the face value account of the events that took place in the alleway. Yet again, Spiderman had come to the rescue of the city and had apprehended three Underworld figures. With a defiant raspberry at the screen, she switched the channel to a music station and slumped down on the sofa.

"Remy! I'm hungry! What you got cooking?" Jubilee called out with the hunger of her increased metabolism growling away.

"Your favorite dish P'tite." Remy remarked from the kitchen.

"My favorite dish can't be found in the kitchen without me hearing a doorbell first and some pimple-faced delivery boy getting a tip before he leaves. So I'm guessing it's some Creole tonight." Jubilee called back.

"Can't fool you now can I. Non, dis non be McBurgers, but dis be a dish Claduette enjoys." Remy returned as the doorbell rang.

"Claudette? The lady who healed me? Your having her over for dinner?" Jubilee asked, slowly making her way to the door and peeking at the small lcd screen for the hidden camera, revealing Claudette dressed in a very form fitting green dress, stretching down to her ankles.

"P'tite, be a dear and get de door for her will you?" Remy called out, the sound of the sink soon drowning out whatever else he had said.

Jubilee opened the door and gave Claudette a smile, ushering her in. After a brief hug, Claudette made her way into the kitchen, and Jubilee to the balcony to give them the privacy she felt they would need. Giving a huff, she leaned agains the railing and looked out to the skyline, feeling the alure of her old profession calling out to her.

"Shaddup. Gave that up. Ain't gonna give in. I've got willpower." Jubilee grumbled, flicking plasmoids from her fingers and letting them dance about the air.

Suddenly the feeling of being watched stirred in her, causing her to look up to the ledge above the balcony. There she found, looking directly at her, one Spiderman, looking rather surprised at being found out.

"You infriging on my patent pending 'Spidersense'?" Peter asked as he edged closer on the strand of webbing he was hung from, haning upside down until he met Jubilee face to face, albeit upside down.

"How did you..." Jubilee began, only to be cut off as Peter pulled out a small device that showed a flashing spider right about where Remy parked his bike.

"You lil' bugger." Jubilee growled.

"I think you mean you lil arachnid. Spiders aren't bugs." Peter countered with a bit of mirth in his voice.

"They both look the same when they get stepped on." Jubilee returned with an evil glint to her eyes, a few plasmoids flicking from her fingers which she had poised before Peter.

"Hey, I come in peace!" Peter exclaimed, still unsure of the power the girl before him possessed.

"Prove it then, I don't do so good with people hiding behind masks. Or are ya some ugly Man-Spider underneath that, all ready to spit webbing and devour me whole." Jubilee retorted with a sarcastic tone to her voice.

"Hey! I'll have you know some very attractive women find me rather cute and charming." Peter retorted, defending his ego.

Silence hung between them, Jubilee respecting his right to privacy in a professional manner, knowing all to well the trouble that could be had with a public knowledge of one's idenity. Drawing to the wall, she stared at Peter.

"What?" Peter inquired.

"Just wondering how long your going to stay like that, as I tell ya, after a while when I do it, my blood rushes to my head and I get a killer migrane. Or is it part of your Spider-Powers that you can hang about for hours and not get a head rush going on." Jubilee inquired.

"Is that an invitation to sit down?" Peter remarked as he righted himself and clung to the railing.

"Maybe, you not going ta go Man-Spider on me if I say yes?" Jubilee remarked with a smirk.

"Can't promise ya that, there was that one time I did turn into an eight foot tall Man-Spider with extra arms and fur." Peter remarked as he climbed onto the balcony and leaned against the railing.

"Ya sure know how ta make a girl feel at ease. Ya go Man-Spider on my watch and you'll find out what it's like ta get squished." Jubilee quipped as she gave a peek into the apartment and found Remy and Claudette disapparing into his bedroom.

"Man, he goes total Casanova when he ain't spending his time stealing. They didn't even touch dinner and cut straigh to the bedroom." Jubilee said with a tired sigh escaping her.

"Well, since it appears your dinner plans are shot, care to take a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Manhattan?" Peter inquired as he shot out a strand of webbing to an adjacent building.

"You talkin' bout what I think your talkin' about?" Jubilee inquired with a mischievious quirk of her lips.

"Only one way to find out." Peter remarked, matching the quirk of her lips with the tone of his voice.

Chapter Two : First Day

She was still drifting with the memory of the night prior, a dumb grin spread across her face as Remy drove up to the school on his bike. Students swarmed in awe, while teachers scowled. The evening had been magical, flying through the streets in his arms, on gossimer strands of webbing. It had been a once in a lifetime tour of the city, in a manner that only skydivers could enjoy, not knowning any direction. The horizontal and vertical were lost as he flipped through the air, holding tight to her. The world seemed to pivot and spin at his command, seeing things in a new light. In the end they found their way to the top a building, looking to the sleeping city. And then he kissed her.

"Ready P'tite?" Remy asked, looking back to Jubilee.

"Huh?" Jubilee asked, looking to her partner and the closest thing to family she had.

"We here. School. Remember?" Remy asked, pulling the visor up on his helmet to look at her.

"Ye...yeah." Jubilee stuttered, looking to the crowd that formed about her.

Fear welled in her. She could handle many things, but the throngs of students looking at her arrival suddenly made her aware of herself. She hadn't been in public education ever, having attented the prestigous Beverly Hills Prepatory School for Girls. Her parents had spent much money on it, and their investment was returned with straight A's and a nack for Gymanstics, winning the school the gold in the last tournement before it happened. A sudden reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she was able to take the first step.

"I don't know why your making me do this." Jubilee hissed.

"You appreciate it later, having gotten through high school and your diploma. You can even go to college or university if you want later and find yourself a normal life if you want. Or later on you stick with Remy, and we use whatever smarts you pick up then to help in de life ahead. But now, you go to school. I didn't get legal custody over you for nuttin' girl." Remy intoned, a hidden pain of his own in his eyes, watching his 'sister' do what he could not.

"Fine. But you so owe me for this." Jubilee growled, hefting her backpack over her shoulder.

"Oui. As I said, you pull de grades your records show you got back in Prep, and we go to Paris in July. Dats de deal." Remy said, throwing down his visor and speeding off.

Sighing, Jubilee slowly trudged to the school, ignoring the gawking teens that surrounded her. Pulling her trench coat tighter, she walked, hearing them chattering mindlessly.

"New girl?"

"Who was the hunk?"

"Bet it was her brother."

"Coulda been her boyfriend this day and age."

"Who cares, he's yummy."

Sighing once again, she let her mind drifted back to the night prior, ignoring the world about her as much as she could, only paying attention to room numbers as she struggled to find her class. He had kissed her, and it had been unlike anything she had ever known, being her first kiss. She wanted to see his face, but he refused. She had to allow him that, though she needed to know something of the man that had just kissed her. A name she asked, and reluctantly he told her. Peter...






"Parker! You got class, or did you forget?" The gym teacher asked, racing up to the fledgling teacher, who at this moment looked not only like something the cat dragged in, but clawed and gnawed upon, as well as leaving in traffic for a day.

"Man, they aren't that rough on ya are they?" Jackson asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. Insomia. I get it now and again. Leaves me a little stretched thin." Peter remarked, shaking it off and putting his best face forward, which still did little to help.

"Yeah, well, just don't be late for class. Five minute rule. While on the books it doesn't exist, that's never stopped the students before. Once they locked all the doors with hockey sticks in the Gym and we ended up having to saw through them to get in." Jackson remarked, giving a gruff pat on Peter's back before he ran off to make it to his own class.

"Thanks for the warning!" Peter called.

Elsewhere though, the aforementioned five minute rule had spread into its final minute, students looking to the clock patiently, counting down every second. As the clock finally reached the last ten seconds, they verbally began their count.

"Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three..." The students counted, looking to the clock, and finally shutting the door, though an odd thud sounded.

"Aw man! He made it!" The instigator called out, opening the door and looking to the disheveled Peter Parker.

"Ow." Peter groaned as he climbed to his feet.

"Sorry teach." Jeremy muttered, walking back to his seat and putting on his headphones.

"Sorry I'm late. Suffring from a bit of Insomia." Peter began, musing that his case of Insomia had a name, Spiderman.

"Oh, a new student." Peter remarked, earning a glare from Jubilee.

"Might I ask your name?" Peter inquired, walking over to Jubilee and sitting down on the desk next to her in the far back corner.

"Go check your schedule, I'm sure you'll find it there. Everyone else here seems to know you." Jubilee grumbled, pulling out her laptop and pulling up a game of Solitaire.

"Fine." Peter remarked, familiar with the feeling of being alienated by being different from everyone else.

Sitting down at his desk, he ran down the list, looking for the one name he did not recognize from prior classes. There he found her. Lee, Jubilation, as well as a star by her name that denoted a personal note on the student. Looking to the desk, he found that note to be in the form of a folder. As he opened it, he found a school transcript from a Prepatory school in Beverly Hills. Curious, he delved further. Orphaned at age eleven, she entered the system, only then to be found a mutant. Peter paused, and looked up to the shy girl off in the corner, a defiant shield showing, yet scared none the less. Looking back down to the folder he continued. Resentment towards authority, time in Juvie, then she just vanishes until two months ago when a Remy LeBeau battled for custody over her.

"Jubilation is it?" Peter asked, looking back, then casting a glare to the student that dared laugh at her name.

"Lee will do fine." Jubilee returned, casting a look of absolute hate and resentment towards the student that laughed, causing the student to shrink away.

"Well, Lee, welcome to Grade 12 Advanced Mathematics. I am your teacher, Peter Parker." Peter said, noticing the way Jubilee suddenly froze as he spoke his name, paling.






It couldn't be. No, it was coincidence. She was sure there had to be plenty of Peter Parker's in the world. Then it hit her, the same voice, more meek in tone, as if hiding something. The Peter she knew used bravado and bravery, filling his voice with such volume you would never think twice if you met this man in the hall. But she had spent the last six years of her life paying attention to the undertones of a persons voice, looking for danger and deceit. Looking to the man, she found the same lips she saw as his mask was pulled up the night prior to embrace her. It was him, she had fallen for her teacher! She couldn't deal with this. Grabbing her stuff, she ran from the class.

"Lee!" Peter called, though she ignored it, running down the hall and nearly colliding with a teacher who seemed to be late for his class.

As Peter burst from the door, he looked to Jackson and called him over, "Watch my class, I have a student that needs my help."

"Sure, I have to wait for the janitor to let me into my class. Damned if I know what they used this time." Jackson called back as he looked to Peter's retreating form.

She ran. It was what she had been doing her entire life. It was what she was good at. Running. She ran from her parents when she didn't meet their expectations. She ran from them when they died. She ran from the foster homes and the system. In the end she had been running from herself, until she met Remy, who gave her everything she had lost and longed for. Family. Now she ran again, from having her heart broken. He was her teacher and he had kissed her! He had taken her on the most romantic night she had ever known, even nabbing a flower from a bewilder vendor, Jubilee tossing a five to cover the petty theft. And he had now acted as if he didn't even know her.

"Lee! Jubilation! Wait up!" Peter called out, though she ignored him.

The front doors came into view and she vaulted to them, kicking them open and sending a janitor diving for cover as she rolled into a crouch and then ran. Peter followed, and for what she saw he was no slouch, then again from what she saw last night, he was in absolute perfect shape and very acrobatic. Diving through traffic, car horns blaring, she tried to make it to the park across the street, a way to loose him for now. Then the horn, deep and cavernous, a rumble that shook her to her soul. Turning, a city bus was speeding towards her, only now appearing to brake. A scream, and in that moment she realized it was her own.






He didn't have time to make it look anything less, and he didn't care. Leaping with the strength given to him on that fateful day, he cleared the traffic and landed next to her, picking her up in his arms and leaping out of the way. The bus came to a screeching halt, the doors opening as the driver ran out, looking in horror after nearly hitting the girl. Passangers looked out the window, apathetic looks on their face, some showing true concern, yet most merely caring to get to where they wished to be.

"Is she alright!" The driver yelled, looking to Peter who now held the sobbing girl in his arms, other teachers pouring out of the school while students opened the windows.

"I...I don't know!" Peter called back, doing his best to calm the girl.

"K, well, thanks for the rescue, but I got to get this bus moving." The driver called, getting back to his routine.

Looking down to the girl in his arms, she seemed to cringe from his touch. As the other teachers neared, students following, the Principal emerged from the crowd and looked to them. He recognized the girl immeidatly, from the interview three days prior when her guardian had enrolled her. Now she seemed an entirely different person. Then strong and defiant, only listening to her guardian, now she seemed broken and scared.

"I'll call Mr. LeBeau." The man said, then with the help of the other teachers, helped herd the students back to class.

"What should I do?" Peter called back.

"Just keep her there, her guardian will be able to help!" The man called back.

As they left, Jubilee looked up to him, her eyes filled with tears and pain. Peter felt his heart twist. He wanted to help her, yet did not know what had sent her into such a panicked departure from the school just after he told her his name. Mustering his courge, he did all he ever knew to do in the face of peril or danger.

"Was it something I said?" Peter asked, filling his voice with mirth.

"You...you..." Jubilee stuttered.

"C'mon, you can tell me. I only want to help." Peter remarked, trying his best to coax her to words.

"Help...I save your life, and then let you kiss me, and you now say you only want to help? Your old enough to be Remy's brother." Jubilee hissed, burying her face, and leaving a stunned Peter looking to her.

"Sorry, whoa, back the truck up?" Peter asked.

"You...you honestly don't know do you? What, you put on the mask and go webbing about the city and you forget who you are?" Jubilee asked, looking up to him.

"Don't know what? Look, I'm just trying to help you." Peter replied, hefting her up in his arms and brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, finding unusual Sapphire eyes when he expected the customary brown.

"Don't you remember last night? You stopped those guys from killing him, then I saved them from offing you. We were on the west side, you were all heroic and being Spiderman, when..." Jubilee began, pausing at the shock that filled Peter's eyes at the mention of his secretive alterego.

"How did you know I was..." Peter whispered.

"You...you told me...then you took me out on the town, for a tour that only you could show.." Jubilee said slowly, reigning control of her emotions.

"No I didn't, and I wasn't on the west side last night, I was on the east." Peter replied.

The two stared at one another, then to a newspaper box on the street. Running to it, they bought a paper and on the front cover there were the recent pictures Peter had sent in to the bugle, ever trying to put a good face to the name Spiderman. Jubilee froze, then tore open the paper, looking for a page. There, they both froze, another account of Spiderman, yet only apart by ten minutes. No where near the time to get to the other side of town, Spiderman or not.

"It...it really wasn't you...oh my...oh my god...who was it...who the heck...he lied to me..." Jubilee began to stutter, falling only to be caught by Peter.

A fresh wave of tears fell as Peter hugged Jubilee, whispering assurances that they would find out who was posing as Spiderman. The sound of a Harley pulling up echoed, Peter turned to see a face he had not seen in years. A catburglar who had escaped his grasp with every attempt, outwitting and escaping with a casual flare of charged cards and witty retorts that nearly matched Peter's own wit. Yet now he stood, helmet off, and looking to the girl with a look of concern and love. Stepping aside, he let Mr. LeBeau in to his ward, and stepped off to clear his head from the insanity that had taken place with the admittance of a new student to his class.

Chapter Three : Tangled Web

This just wasn't his week, Peter mused as he shot another line of webbing the ledge of a apartment building, pulling himself aloft from his perch on a street lamp. First he gets transfered to a high school from the middle school he had been at, he had struck with making peace with Mary Jane yet again, and now of all things, he had a double going around swooning girls and stealing kisses.

"And of course, the girl this double just had to be my latest student and troubled at that. Just great Spidey, I wonder if I'm actually living in a soap oprea and just don't know it." Peter muttered to himself as he shot another line, swinging to a different street.

Sighing, he tried to ease the whirlwind of thought raging across his mindscape, focusing back upon his nightly patrol for his double. As of yet, it seemed his double was always a step ahead of him, forever gone from the latest scene of a prevented crime, holding true to the Spiderman image with leaving gift wrapped criminals for the police to collect.

"I just hope he isn't another clone. I had more than enough trouble with that whole insanity the last time. Please let it be something simple like my long lost twin brother or a version of me from a parallel universe." Peter groaned, releasing his webbing and landing on a water tower as he pulled out a police scanner from his backpack.

"Leave it to being in the crime fighting business long enough to have long lost twins or alternate dimensions seem simple. Oh well, this is still easier than facing Mary Jane, or even Aunt May at the moment." Peter rambled, scanning through the frequencies as he tried to find any more of his double's sightings.

"Brake and Enter, Purse Snatcher, High Speed pursuit, yet no Spiderman. Goes to figure, the one time I want the police to be after me, its all quiet on the western front. Oh lookie, Domestic Dispute. Lovely. All the worlds a stage, too bad the shows the WWF these days. Then again it was Wrestling that got me started in this." Peter remarked as he turned off the scanner and put it back in his backpack.

"Well Spidey, if you were a glory hogging double, where would you be? From what I gathered from Lee, this guy really does think he's me. Yet he is either a pervert or thinks he's young enough to be hitting on high school girls." Peter mused as he launched himself from the water tower, shooting a line to a rooftop and swinging back high above traffic.

As Peter swung through the air, a tingle alerted him to his spider sense ringing, his gaze darting to a car below. Racing towards the lights, the car showed no signs of slowing down despite the fact that the lights had just turned red. Releasing his grasp on the line in hand, he shot another line to the lights ahead and pulled with all his might, gaining precious distance upon the car. Though as he neared, his spider sense did more than tingle this time, but instead full out screamed to life as the sound of webbing shot out and began to form a net between the street lamps.

As the car came to a hault, Peter landed on the sidewalk below and looked above, finding a mirror likeness staring back at him, the poise of the double relaying utter shock. With the sound of doors opening though, either of the Scarlet Spiders paused to look to the men who had now leveled automatic rifles upon them.

"Waste them!" One of the men yelled, pulling the trigger on his gun as it sprang to life, a deadly rain of bullets flying and slamming into the wall while Peter leapt clear.

"There's two of them!" Another man yelled as he sent a barrage of gunfire at the double.

"I can count! Just waste them already!" The lead gunman cried out, the other driver and passanger unleashing their own weapons.

As Peter and his double fell back, finding cover in an alley while the double on a side of an adjacent building, a whinning sound all too familiar to Peter could be heard, charged cards raining down upon the gunmen, exploding upon impact.

"Now let me be getting dis straight? You de Bug man I called? If so it was de Roaches I wanted you ta kill as I be liking de Spiders I have!" Remy called out from a rooftop, looking down to the now scattered gunmen.

"What is it? Superhero night!" The lead gunman cried out, rolling to cover behind a parked car, leveling his aim on Remy.

"Nah, we're just concerned citizens lodging a noise complaint. Now shut up!" Jubilee called out, sending a barrage of plasmoids raining down upon the gunmen form the building adjacent from Remy.

Cries of pain and confusion erupted as Jubilee detonated the plasmoids, lights rivaling the Forth of July bursting and blinding the gunmen. Taking the oppuritnity, Peter and the double emerged and began snaring the gunmen in webs, immoblizing them. As the sound of police sirens erupted from the distance, they looked to one another, and then their allies, passing a nod as the double took to the air on a gossimer strand, picking up Jubilee while Peter took Remy into his arms, the unlikely troupe of nightly avengers swinging off into the night.






"So Jubes, care to explain?" The Alter-Peter asked as he set down on a rooftop several blocks away from the scene of the fight.

"Was just about to ask you the same thing buddy." Jubilee snarled, ripping herself free of his grasp and tumbling into a roll on the rooftop.

"Would de Real Slim Spidey please stand up?" Remy chuckled, walking from the edge of the building where he and Peter had just landed.

"Huh?" The Alter-Peter asked, looking to Remy.

"K, masks off. Who are you?" Peter asked in a low voice, taking off his cowl and staring the double in the ever-familiar visage.

"Whoa. Your so old!" The Alter-Peter remarked, slowly taking off his mask and revealing a Peter Parker not anymore than eighteen.

"Hey! I'm not that old!" Peter cried out, looking to his younger self.

Jubilee looked to either Peter, her eyes holding the disbelief. Shaking her head, she walked off to a shadowy corner of the rooftop, wrapping her trench coat about herself and trying to hide the confusion and fear that were rising in her. Remy looked to her, wanting to be to her side, yet knowing the set of her shoulders meant it would be best to let her deal with it upon her own, any attempt at help unappreciated out of habit.

"So, who are you?" Peter asked of his Alter-Self.

"Peter Parker. Who are yo...nevermind. What's going on?" The younger Peter asked.

"That's what I'd like to know. As something seriously wrong is going on." Peter answered, taking a seat on the ledge of the building while his younger self perched upon the wall rising from the rooftop access.

"Merde. Okay, dis be de real Spidey..." Remy explained, motioning to Peter.

"Hey, I'm real!" The younger Peter cried out in an indignant tone.

"Mebe, but you know where you from? Anyt'ing odd 'appen to you as of late?" Remy asked, figuring it best to have a neutral party act as negotiator to the copyright infringment that appeared to have taken place.

"I was just fighting Doc Oc when she shot this beam at me. Next thing I know I'm waking up and it's daylight and I'm in the middle of Central Park." The younger Peter explained.

"She?" Peter asked, looking to his younger self in disbelief.

"Yeah, She." The younger Peter explained.

"Whoa, time out. Doc Oc in this universe is a man, unless he's been hiding something from me all this time, and I would honestly feel hurt. I mean we had such a good working relationship. I'd foil his plans and he's try to kill me, ah the good old days." Peter remarked.

"So you mean to tell me that this...isn't my Universe?" The Younger Peter asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so." Peter replied in a sincere tone.

"Great. Just great. Whoa, wait. Time out, that can't be right as other than this, everything else has been normal." The younger Peter exclaimed.

"What do you mean by normal?" Peter asked, looking curious.

"I mean at the end of the night, I go home, hit the hay, catch a few hours of sleep before Uncle Ben wakes me up..." Peter explained, pausing as he noticed the shock in his doubles eyes.

"What?" The younger Peter asked.

"Uncle...Ben...is alive in your Universe?" Peter asked, his voice shakey.

"Yeah. Why?" The younger Peter asked hesitently.

"B..because in this universe....he died after that night in the wrestling ring. The guy that robbed the safe robbed my...our house." Peter explained.

"It...happend like that...except it was Aunt May who was..." The younger Peter explained, his eyes filling with tears, mirroring the pain the other knew, recalling the horrific event that had changed their lives forever.

After several minutes of utter silence, the two Peter's met one anothers gaze, one question evident in their minds, What now? Remy had long since taken his absence from being the neutral party, finding a dialoge open between the two, and now going off to talk with his ward by law, but sister by love. Pulling her into a hug, she vanished inside his trench coat, hiding herself from her webcrawling Romeo and her friendly neighbourhood teacher. As either Peter looked over to the pair, the younger looked to the elder.

"So, what's up with those two?" The younger Peter inquired, dropping from the wall and taking a seat next to his elder self.

"Don't know. I just know that Lee was more than a little distraught at finding out the man who kissed her, or should I say boy, is her teacher, however confusing that is." Peter remarked in a tired voice, rubbing his temples against the frustration of the situation.

"Jeez. I guess that would be..." The younger Peter began, falling silent as he looked to her, wishing he could take back the night prior, though a selfish fiber in him fought against the nobel thought.

"Yeah." Peter replied.

"So, what are you thinking about this?" The younger Peter inquired.

"No idea so far. You say you go home and everything is normal, yet when you get out here your in my universe." Peter commented.

"Yeah. I think I have an idea though, seems there's always a moment when my spider sense goes into overload and I black out for a heartbeat. Next thing I know I'm falling and a little disorientated, though that would be explained now by waking up in an alternate universe." The younger Peter explained.

"You have any idea what it was that Doc Oc hit you with?" Peter asked.

"I checked it out during daylight hours, police had it taped off, but well, a little B&E never hurt. Was some sort of spacial displacement ray. I think she planned on using it to do a little eight armed shopping." The younger Peter remarked.

"Something tells me it's more than spacial and more along the lines of I don't know, Multiversal spanner?" Peter replied.

"You just made that up, admit it." The younger Peter remarked.

"Sue me, I don't know ol' Oc did, maybe when you return to your own universe you can dig up plans, or even the gun itself, bring it over the next time your here. From the looks of you, your still a rookie. Oh, and if our Universes run parallel, just at a slower rate, watch out for when the Clones start coming out of the wood works." Peter informed.

"Clones?" The younger Peter asked, the sun slowly rising over the horizon.

As the first rays of the new day struck, either Peter felt their Spider sense rage to life, pain surging as their vison grew dark. As Peter slowly returned to his senses, he found Jubilee clutching him and holding tight to a line of webbing, the strain evident while Remy was screaming for her to hold on. Looking about, he now found himself halfway to the street below, no longer on his perch upon the ledge. Taking ahold of the line, he grabbed Jubilee as exhaustion gave way.

"What happened?" Peter asked, hefting her into his arm and climbing up.

"You and younger you spazed out. Next thing I know he's fading out and your falling. I leapt for you, but got pulled off when your hand tacked onto me. Last ditch I triggered your webshooter and took ahold of both. By the way, ask Remy to relocate my shoulder for me, and get a doctors not for tommorow K?" Jubilee replied, fatigue in her voice.

Peter looked to Jubilee with concern in his eyes, feeling horrible for having nearly gotten either of them killed, and more so for hurting her. As he walked up the side of the building, he finally reached the top and handed Jubilee over to Remy. Taking off his glove, he made a bundle of it and put it in Jubilee's mouth, then relocated her shoulder as a cry of pain erupted, tears falling from her eyes.

"Remy sorry P'tite." Remy whispered, pulling her into his arms and taking the glove out of her mouth.

"I...know Gumbo. I just want to go home now." Jubilee whispered in a hoarse voice, fighting against the pain.

"Problem being de Bike is all de way down back at de crime scene, and you in no shape for a bike ride." Remy explained, casting a knowing glance to Peter.

"I'll carry her home. You can get the bike and meet us there. How's that sound?" Peter asked.

"Sounds...good. Just...wanna go home." Jubilee remarked.

Peter took Jubilee into his arms, her wrapping her good arm about his neck and clinging to his chest, while wrapping her legs about his waist. A stray thought in Peter's mind surfaced, thinking of how his younger self would be green with envy over this position. Wrapping a line of webbing about Jubilee for saftey, he took to the air, gently as he could be, slinging across town and back to her apartment.

Remy stood in their wake, looking as Peter and Jubilee. Smirking, he knew she was in good hands, the hands of a man who at one time had tried to catch him. Humor not lost to him, he began climbing down the side of the building, taking the fire escape for as long as he could until he leapt to the ground below. Walking out of the alleyway, he began his walk back to his bike, hoping that he hadn't gotten a ticket.

  Chapter 4: Dining Out


"Ouch. Stop it." Jubilee grumbled in her sleep, her head propped up upon her desk with her hands, while her sunglasses hung limply from her ears.

With another stab to her shoulder, followed by another, and then another, she finally awoke to look over at the desk next to her. Some girl with way too much makeup on her face was ready to poke her with her pen again when she caught the look of malice in the new students eyes. With a glance in the direction the girl was pointing to, she found one Peter Parker, known to her as Spiderman, looking at her with a pleading expression in his eyes.

"Good Afternoon Miss Lee, did you have a pleasant slumber through my explanation of Fractions?" Peter asked, earning amused chuckles and laughs from the rest of the students.

"Just dandy. Class over yet?" Jubilee asked with a yawn, stretching and momentarily forgetting about her shoulder until pain flared.

"Well, I'm sure the rest of the students wouldn't mind leaving early. So yes, Class dismissed, though might I speak with you for a moment afterwards Jubilation." Peter remarked, sitting on his desk and closing his text book.

As the class broke out into boil of students packing up their books and fleeing from the class before their teacher changed his mind, Jubilee sat in her desk and popped in a piece of gum. Finally as the last students vacated the classroom with a clatter of slamming doors, Peter walked over and took a seat upon Jubilee's desk.

"How's the shoulder?" He asked, still feeling bad about the accident.

"Hurts, but I've had worse." Jubilee remarked, catching the pain surfacing in his eyes at the thought.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hey, Aunt May is cooking up meatloaf, care to come over for dinner tonight?" Peter asked with a warm smile on his face.

"Like, a real home cooked meal?" Jubilee asked warily.

"Yeah, just like Norman Rockwell would paint. You in?" Peter asked.

"Well, since Remy is going out tonight with Claudette I guess I need to fend for myself. And after the attempt at making marshmallow squares, I found out I can't cook. So, umm. Sure." Jubilee replied, giving a small smile to Peter in return.

"Okay, I'll make sure Aunt May knows to put out another place for dinner tonight. Dinner is at seven , but you can arrive earlier if you want so I can help you with your math." Peter replied, scribbling down the address and directions in her notebook.

"Hey Pete, Umm. Thanks. I never had a home cooked meal even when I had a home of my own, not until I hooked up with Remy, and at that he tends to go for extravagant stuff. Most often we'd call for take out after clearing the smoke outta the apartment." Jubilee replied with her smile growing, packing up her things and heading off.



If there was one thing Peter Parker enjoyed about being Spiderman, aside from saving the innocent lives that fell through the cracks, it was the freedom of Web-Slinging. It was as close as he could get to actually flying through the air like so many others out there in the superhero community. With the hiss of his wrist mounted web shooter he let another strand tear free and snag purchase onto a building, swinging past astounded onlookers. Now with the busy schedule of being a teacher as well as the crimson clad defender of Manhattan, he found a very practical use of Web-Slinging, that being an exhilarating way of beating rush hour traffic.

Setting down in a ratty alleyway he quickly got dressed back in his civilian clothing, ensuring that there were no onlookers to the secret identity of Spiderman. Walking out with his briefcase in tow, whistling a tune he had heard on the radio, he made his way down the next few blocks to Aunt May's house to tell her of the new addition to the guest list for dinner tonight. Looking to the crowd ahead he could only wonder at the lives they lead, their daily concerns lacking the worries that often weighed upon his soul. Everyday lives with everyday situations. The idle thought was cut short as his spider-sense nagged at the back of his mind. Spinning around he found a man barreling out of a crowd of people.

"He stole my purse! Stop him!" A shrill, female voice screamed.

Sighing, Peter waited until the man looked back at the crowd for signs of pursuit, then with a swift foot swung out in front of the man he brought him down into a pile upon the ground. Reaching for the purse, he watched as the man tried to stumble to his feet.

"Don't run. The cops will catch you. Just wait here and make it easier." Peter remarked, keeping his gaze locked with him, really wishing he could merely let a strand of webbing tie him up for the police.

"Piss off!" The would-be crook yelled, stumbling to his feet and making a dash for it.

Annoyance rose in Peter in this moment, really wishing that he could merely let this petty thief run away and out of his life. But years ago he had done just that and lost one of the greatest men in his life, his Uncle Ben. Lurching to action, Peter soon gave chase, keeping an eye on the crook as he rounded the corner. Pushing past the crowd, he paused and handed the purse to a woman.

"Here, give that to the lady down there, I gotta go!" Peter blurted out in rapid succession, quickly getting back on the trail of the purse-snatcher.

As he finally broke free of the crowd and spun around the corner, he soon found an odd spectacle before him. Hung upside down from a lamppost was his alter ego Spiderman, while tied to the post was the purse snatcher. With a wink Spiderman shot a strand of webbing free and climbed into the air, leaving the crook for the police to catch. Shaking off the daze, Peter looked down to the purse-snatcher.

"That, that was Spiderman!" The crook babbled.

"Yes it was." Peter remarked with a sly grin, wishing that he could have had a picture taken with his alter ego and sent to the office of Jameson. Whistling with a new spring in his step, Peter made his way back to his Aunt's, already having an idea of what he would find there.



Words rarely used to describe Jubilation Lee were Timid and Shy. Yet as she stood at the door to Peter's Aunts, she could barely bring her first up to knock on the door. Finally, summoning all the courage she could, her hand found its way to the middle of the door, only to have the door suddenly open. The small shriek escaping her did little to help the situation.

"Oh hello, you must be Jubilation. Peter told me you were coming over that he could help you with your math." The elderly woman said in a kind voice, taking Jubilee by the hand and leading her in.

"Umm, Hello." Jubilee whispered, looking about sheepishly.

The house was something out of a TV show, complete with pictures of Peter as a youth, gangly and very nerdy looking. How could someone like that turn into the teacher whom probably had many a teenaged crush focused upon him. Or the man who had stolen her heart, albeit from a parallel universe and many a year younger. As she turned from the picture, she found a very astute Aunt May looking at her.

"I bet you're curious how Peter grew into the man he is today?" Aunt May remarked casually, leading Jubilee into the kitchen where she had coffee and tea waiting.

"Well, umm. Yeah." Jubilee remarked, wondering more about the man known alternately as Spiderman.

"Why, by listening to his Aunt and eating all his vegetables." Aunt May replied, hiding the painful truth she now finally knew.

"Actually Aunt May, Jubilee knows." The voice of one Peter Parker remarked from the stairs as he made his way from his old bedroom.

"Heavens Peter, have I not told you already that despite whom you might be, that it is not an excuse not to use the door." Aunt May remarked in shock, leveling her gaze upon her nephew.

"I would have, but I had some, err, company. Pete, care to come downstairs." Peter remarked, watching as his younger self made his way downstairs, dressed in some of his elders old clothing.

As Aunt May fought to regain her composure at the sudden shock of seeing a very much younger Peter Parker, she let the battle falter under the look in the younger man's eyes. A look she had seen in her own Nephew's eyes on that day when he had arrived home only to find his Uncle Ben dead. Without care for what had caused those tears to surface, she merely crossed the distance and pulled the youth into an embrace, lending comfort as he relayed how much he loved her and missed her. In silence she listened to the story of her own death, and merely helped to ease his pain.



Sitting on the roof, Peter looked up to the stars above and wondered about the life he lead. Next to him sat one Jubilation Lee, wearing a sweater several sizes too large at the demand of Aunt May. The pair had left the younger Peter alone with Aunt May, knowing that either would have much to say to one another. Peter knew that Aunt May wished she could turn the clock back so that she could have been there for him through all his years of peril, and this quirk of fate allowed her to help the fledgling Spiderman with the love she had for the boy.

"So I guess dinner is kinda off huh?" Jubilee asked quietly.

"I think so. Those two have a lot to say to one another. It's a second chance I wish I could have had with Uncle Ben, and I'm sure as heck not going to look a gift horse in the mouth." Peter whispered, fighting to remain calm as he keep his gaze locked to the heavens.

"Was he the man in that picture with you?" Jubilee asked.

"Yeah, before all this happened. Back when times were not so complicated." Peter answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"What happened?" Jubilee ventured, trying to unravel the enigma of the man before her.

"How this all started? Being you know who?" Peter asked, turning his gaze to Jubilee, receiving a small nod.

"Started with one phrase that my Uncle Ben said along time ago. 'With great power comes great responsibility.' And had I listened to those words things might have been a lot different from now." Peter replied, his voice trailing off into silence.

"Ya know, I think that's what makes a superhero. Not all the powers or anything, just realizing that they're responsible to things beyond themselves. Then comes the hard part of living up to that." Jubilee replied quietly, taking a sip of her tea, Aunt May forbidding her to have coffee on the insistence it would stunt her growth.

With a glance across to the girl beside him, Peter couldn't help but smile as he saw a bit of the intelligence hidden within her, the girl he had seen in her earliest school records, bright and insightful.

"I'll give if you give." Peter remarked.

"A little Q and A?" Jubilee asked, a smile finding its way to her features.

"Sure, you start." Peter replied.

With that the pair started asking questions of one another's past, trying to build a friendship out of common destinies, that of living up to their own responsibilities.