Later that night, I was supposed to meet Peter for a pizza date. I walked up the the restaurant and looked inside the window, seeing him sitting there alone. He looked at his watch and his gaze moved upward's meeting mine. He smiled and I shook my head.
I packed back and forth outside, mumbling to myself over and over. What am I doing?
"Cate?" Peter called out softly walking over to me. "What is it?"
"Hey." I said softly, trying to contain my tears.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" He asked concerned and wrapped me up into his arms.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I saw him again. Every time thing's feel normal and feel like they're going right, I just get this awful feeling like something bad's going to happen."

"I know it's okay. We've talked about this. It's not his choice, it's your's. Instead of focusing on the negative's try focusing on the positive's." He smiled, leaning back and looking into my blue eyes with his big brown ones.
"Peter." I sighed.
"Think about them." He repeated softly. "We've been together for how long now?"
"A year..." I mumbled.
"That's right. That's a whole year that nothing has gone wrong. You've been able to balance your lives while being with me. You kept your promise and kept Gwen at a distance, I know that hurt's you. But I'm here for you, through it all. You can't completely isolate yourself. And another positive, I love you and you love me, right?"
"Right." I nodded.
"See? You're strong and you can do this." He leaned his forehead against mine.
"But, I still can't get over the fact that something could happen to you. It would be because of me and it would be my fault. Just like with Uncle Bob and with Captain Stacy. I-I can't let that happen..." I explained and a tear ran down my cheek.

"Listen to me. Yes, those thing's happened. You can blame yourself all you want, but neither instance was your fault. Thing's happen and people die. You can't let their death's stop you from living your own life. You are Spider-Woman and that's an incredible responsibility and burden that you carry and I love that about you. But, I love Cate Barrett more. I had you long before her existence and I'll be there long after. In life or death, I'll be with you in here and that is my choice. That's worth it to me." He said firmly as he pointed to my heart with one hand and wiped my tear's with the other.

"How are you so good at this convincing thing?" I laughed through my tears.
"Because, I'm meant to be your voice of reason." He laughed. "Now, come on. I know your hungry. Let's eat." He wrapped and arm around my shoulder and we walked inside the pizza place together.
I held his word's in my heart and smiled. But, that nagging feeling of something going wrong stayed in the back of my mind.

I jumped from a building and soared through the air, with my arm's out wide.
"Good morning, New Yorker's. Looking for another beautiful day here in the city." A female radio show host said.
I shot out a web and began swinging forward.
"A few clouds to start us off..."
"The steady increase in sighting's of Spider-Woman has sparked a national debate on the role of vigilantism in American Crime Fighting..."
"How about that Spider-Woman? Last night on the Manhattan Bridge, she saved a dozen lives. We wanna hear your thought's!"
The increased amount of report's poured in over the new's outlet's as I was around more now that I wasn't trying to balance school.

I swung through the village and found a group of kid's running after a smaller little girl, carrying something in her hands. The boy's and girl's took the project from her and began kicking it and smashing it into the ground. I jumped down inbetween the girl and the group of bullies.

"I think, without Spider-Woman, there'd be no hope for this city."  One caller said.
"Who do you think pay's the bills for all the damages she causes, huh?" Another caller said. "It's you and me... Taxpayer's!"

I looked at the group of kid's and they all ran away in the opposite direction. I turned around and bent down looking at her project.
"Wow, did you make this?" I asked her enthusiastically.
"Yeah." She replied shyly.
"This is a wind turbine! You really made this? Naw, there's no way. This is seriously so good. Amazing even! Here." I shot some webbing and reattached the pieces together as her smile began to grow. I spun the turbine. "It's as good as new now, right? Don't let anyone ever tell you because you're a girl that you can't do something. How about I walk you home?" I ruffled her hair and she giggled with a nod. "What's your name?"
"Georgina."
"Georgina? Well, I'm Spider-Woman." I said as I walked her home.

I swung some more around the city.
"I don't feel like my kid's are safe with her out there. Get out of the way and let the police do their job."
"Some folk's think there might be more than one, Spider-Woman. What do you think? One woman or many?" A female show host asked.

A large 18 wheeler truck, plowed into a taxi cab, turning the vehicle on it's side. Plowing up the road. A woman walked through the side walk and turned seeing the oncoming car. I swung down and saved her just before she was flattened like a pancake.
Everyday I was coming home in scratches, bruises, road rash, even feather's. Just all a part of the job.

"I'd love to know who's behind that mask."

"Hey, nice outfit." Lady Liberty said from next to me. As she admired my costume. Must be a comic con in town as I was surrounded by dressed up people.
"Thank you." I nodded and walked out into the busy street, grabbing a police truck as it went by.

"We have another caller on the line named Max. He say's he know's Spider-Woman." The show host said.
"Listen, I'm upset. Spider-Woman to me is being misunderstood. She's a very, very good person. She's protecting us and not only that. She saved my life one time. we sort of became best friend's!"

"ACHOO!" I sneezed as I took off my suit one night. "Peter?" I asked sounding all snotty and sick into the phone as he answered.
"Hi, hun. What's up?" He sounded busy.
"I was hoping you were home. But, I'm guessing you're at the lab still?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I won't be out until late tonight. Are you sick?"
"Uh-huh." I sniffled. "Don't worry about it I'll go out and get some medicine." I told him.

I bundled myself up and went to the convenience store.
"Give me all the money!" A robber pointed a gun at the cashier of the convince store I was at. While I was shopping for my cold medicine. "It'll take two seconds. Give me the money. Open the safe!" He demanded quickly.
I was looking at the cold medicine's when I saw him. I slid on my mask and shot out a web, taking the gun away from him. Then I webbed him up and pulled him back attaching him to the drink cooler's. I grabbed everything I thought I'd need and walked to the register.
"How much?" I asked sounding sickly.
"Hey, you're that Spider-lady!" The cashier man said excitedly.
"I'm Spider-Woman." I said.
"Huh?" He asked.
"I'm, I'm.... ACHOO!" I sneezed inside my mask, groaning and sniffling after. "I'm SPIDER-WOMAN." I said trying to be clearer.

Paper's from the Daily Bugle had my picture on the front with a headline that read... "SPIDER-MENACE?"
"This Spider-Woman, lady, she's not the police, she's not a fireman. What gives her the right to get involved in other people's business?"

Ever since school ended, Peter and I had been spending less and less time together. We were both just so busy in our lives that it just hadn't worked out for us to. There were someday's I would see him walking up the street's of New York heading to work. I alway's wanted to just swoop down and take him for a swing. But for two reason's I couldn't do that. One: Someone would notice and that would make Peter and bigger target. And Two: something alway's came up. Like right now, a fire.

I swung my way to the burning building and made my way inside. Saving a family from their trapped state's. I had made it home so late that night, I fell asleep with my suit on. Mask up on my face.
The next morning there was a knock on my door.
"Cate? Honey? Can I come in?" Aunt Mary called out. I heard her trying to turn the knob but the mechanical lock was on.
"No!" I shouted, desperately trying to get my suit off. I yanked off my mask and tried pulling at the back of my suit.
"Cate, the final start's at 9:00, honey. And you said you would take my car into the shop because it keeps dying, remember?" Aunt Mary asked through the door as I made a thud against the wall. Struggling to get the suit off.
"Give me just a second, Aunt Mary. I'll get... I'm gonna... get the door. Just give me a second." My voice muffled as I tried tucking my head into my suit. Clearly this wasn't working so I jumped into my bed and covered myself in my cover's.

"Cate, please just let me in." She knocked again. I shot out a web unlocking the door. "You said you were gonna take my car into the shop..." She paused as the door opened and I was covered in my blankets. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm okay." I said. "I'm just, uh, very naked right now..."
"What on earth happened to your face?" She tilted her head and asked clearly very confused. "It's filthy."
"It is?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. Right, I was cleaning the, uh, chimney." I explained quietly.
"We have no chimney." Aunt Mary pointed out.
"Whaaat?" I said trying to act surprised.

"You're late." She said firmly and gestured for me to get out of bed.
"I know, I know, I'm late."
"Downstair's..."
"I can't..."
"Now!"
"Okay, fine! Can you leave, though?" I asked her nicely.
"Okay, I'm leaving."
"I'm just really, super naked under here." She rolled her eyes and began closing the door. "Good morning, I love you!" I called after her.
"I love you too. Now, hurry up!"

I fell out of my bed and sighed. When I looked up at my messy room I saw my dad's old briefcase, giving me a flashback from when I was little. I held it in my hand's and angrily tossed it into my closet, webbing the door closed. I didn't understand why thing's had to be so complicated.