There's nothing like having dinner with two cops and a very pissed off criminal.

No seriously, I can't find anything weirder than that. I've tried, but nothing seems to come to mind.

If you haven't been reading this story thus far, and you know who you are, I'm Vivi. I'm the girl next door, resident ice queen, and perky believer of all things. I'm also a writer who lives here in hero city a.k.a New York, a librarian in the Downtown system, and a country bumpkin turned city slicker.

Anything I left out? Oh wait! I'm harboring an alien in my apartment who just happens to be Spider-Man's villain.

His name is Venom and he's a pain in my neck, my hero, and my roommate. I won't tell him that I actually enjoy his company though. His ego doesn't need to be that inflated. He isn't the only main character in this story.

So where was this story heading now? Oh yeah! So my dinner with three men went a little something like this...

Vivi shifted uncomfortably as the gazes of the three men swept over her. This was her first dinner party and she was sweating uncomfortably. Hastily, she got the casserole out of the oven and placed it on the table in front of them.

"I hope you do enjoy it boys. I didn't expect to have...more guest." She said, the cops giving her suspicious looks. Eddie nodded at her, taking the knife out of her hands.

"Well this looks delicious Vi, I think this is the best thing you've made since I've stayed here." He joked, getting a glare from her. She went to smack him over the head, but his precognitive warning senses made her miss. She had to bite her tongue from cursing the "spider sense".

"Well ma'am I have to agree with your roommate, this is a good looking meal." The younger cop said, giving her another flirtatious glance. Vivi rolled her eyes and tried to avoid eye contact with the young cop. She could feel the jealousy radiating off Eddie as he stabbed the casserole in front of them.

"So officers, what does this criminal you're looking for looks like?" He said, cutting the casserole into smaller pieces and serving Vivi who gave him a backwards glance.

"You live in New York right big guy? Well this guy is the most evil criminal that Spider-Man has to fight." The older cop drank the rest of his water and turned to face him. "They call him Venom, some big lug with a vendetta against the webslinger since he first appeared."

Vivi nearly choked on her piece of casserole when Eddie gave a big smirk. "Really? Tell me more about this Venom character. We would like to know more." She knew he was referring to "us" when talking about his other side.

The younger cop gave her another flirty glance before replying. "Venom has the same powers as the spider, but his strength increases tenfold. He shoots these black webs, has this long tongue, and claws that can rip human flesh!"

Vivi pretended to be shocked. "He sounds horrible! What kind of a creature is this guy?" Eddie gave her a Really? look before grinning back at the officers.

"Well if that's all you know about him, perhaps you should continue your search." He got up from the table and helped the cops out their chairs. "He could still be out there, killing and causing trouble and whatnot."

"But we-" The older cop started to say before Vivi gave him a fake smile.

"Officers must be on duty at all times! If Spider-Man doesn't have his friendly neighborhood law system by his side, who will stop the petty thieves?"

The older cop seemed to consider this and was standing outside the door frame with the younger one. "Good point miss. We'll just let you off with a warning and be on our way then."

The younger cop tilted his hat. "A pleasure having dinner with a pretty woman like yourself." He gently took her hand and kissed it. "The names's Bryan and I would love to take you out sometime."

Vivi felt her face flush red as she hastily pulled her hand away. Eddie placed both his hands on her shoulder and clenched them tight.

"Thank you officers, now would you kindly leave our establishment?"

The two officers looked surprised from his rude comment, but nevertheless walked away. Vivi closed the door behind her, slipped to the floor, closed her eyes, and sighed.

"That was a close one. I don't think I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight." She groaned, hearing a deep chuckle coming from the other person in the room. Strong arms wrapped around her petite waist, making her feel safe and secure. She opened her eyes to see Venom leaning over her, his tongue playfully batting her forehead.

"Miss me?" He asked in a teasing manner.

She punched him lightly on the face. "Like the plague."

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Vivi had left later the next morning, walking on her way to work. She puffed out her cheeks as the cool morning air blew on my face.

Who does he think he is, getting all jealous like that at dinner last night?  I'm going to have a talk with him about that when I get home. Walking into the library, Vivi noticed her boss sitting at the main desk, her arms crossed in a menacing way. 

"Come and sit down for a minute Strauss. I wanna chat with you about something." Her face bore no emotions, making me extra nervous. Hesitantly, Vivi sat down on the wooden chair that had mysteriously appeared by the desk. She leaned forward, a stack of familiar papers in her hand.

"So, are you going to tell me why I found this in the romance section of the library last night hmm?"  She placed the papers in Vivi's hands,  who in turn blushed a deep shade of crimson. "I want you to read it aloud for me."

She gaped at her boss, her mouth dry all of a sudden. In her boss' hand was a big, fat, red marker. 

"Well go on Strauss, read it!" Her boss was getting irritated by the second, her hands on her hip. Vivi gulped before reading the text she had left in the library.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Eddie walked up the stairs to the Central Library, a pep in his step as he did. He wanted to surprise Vivi by visiting the place she worked. He was curious about this library since he hadn't stepped foot into one for a long time. He sighed, remembering his college years and working for the Daily Bugle. All that ruined by that pesky Spider-Man. 

You know, if it wasn't for him, I would've never met Vivi. He thought standing in front of the library's door. So in a way, I guess that Spider was good for something! Not that I'd ever tell him that though. He smirked, walking inside the quiet building, looking around in awe. And to think, she's probably read up on everything and everyone in this city. I wonder if she knows who Spider-Man is.

The library was completely deserted. He guessed that not many folks were there this early in the morning. He walked into a section labeled Restricted. Being the guy he was, he slunk right into the dimly lit room. The room was filled with cabinets of different files and books with black covers. There was no one except for one person at a table, Vivi. Eddie walked over to discover that she was sleeping and the pile of books that was next to her. 

Woah she must've been really studying! No wonder she's sound asleep. He leaned over to see what kind of book she was currently reading. Hmm...it doesn't seem like an indecent book. In fact, this is a very difficult book to read. I don't even know what it's about.

A sound of a yawn startled his thoughts as the petite girl rolled over in her sleep. The book fell from her grasp as her hair flayed all over the place. Eddie had to admit she was quite adorable when she slept. The way her face scrunched up at every flinch, her hands curled around a pen, a stack of papers with smeared ink.

Wait a minute...that looks like that story she was working on! The one with me in it! He made a small gap between the paper and her so that he could yank it out her grasp. To his satisfaction, he actually got it! He smiled at his victory only to be appalled at what he saw. The words had been covered with thickly with red marker, causing some of the words to smear. He flipped through each page to see something horrible written.

Disgusting. Filth. You'll never be a great writer. You should give up. This will never be a book.

Anger boiled inside him as each page held another ugly message. His symbiote started to feel anger along with him, wanting to find who had slandered her beautiful work of art. He could feel himself change from his civilian form to his alien form. He leaned over to see tear stains on her where she had been crying.

That was the final straw for him. The transformation happened instantly as Venom appeared in the room. He wrapped his arms around the sleeping figure of Vivi and rubbed her back. Slight moaning sounds came from her mouth as she snuggled in a bit deeper into his massive body. He found himself liking this more and continued soothing the girl. His tongue licked her cheeks, removing any signs of tear marks. 

"Who did this to you? Who dared to slander your writing?" He asked in a hissing voice, whispering in her ear.

Vivi shivered, grabbing his tendrils as more tears rolled down her face. "M-M-My boss...she took the marker and..." She hiccuped, fighting back more tears. "Destroyed it, ripped it to pieces, and marked it up. She told me to never write while working here and to never take any books home again."

His grip on her tightened at each word, the anger inside of him bubbling more and more. He was going to avenge his roommate, his friend, his protector. No Spider-Man alive would stop what was going to happen to Aliana Hempburn.