MAYA LOPEZ STOOD in the middle of the Fat Man Auto Repair parking lot. The Ronin had delivered a message earlier in the day to her men, informing them that he'd confront her that night.

Many Tracksuits were hiding behind cars, with Kazi up on the roof of the establishment holding a sniper rifle. He surveyed the area for the Ronin, looking through his scope. Suddenly, he felt a cold blade press against his neck.

He slowly lowered his gun and looked back, knowing who it was.

"Okay..." He breathed out. "Let's ta—"

The man was hit in the face and knocked out. Back in the lot, Ivan and Tomas crept through the parked cars. Suddenly, Tomas's foot was grabbed and pulled down, where he was dragged under a car.

Another Dracula was tackled and Ivan quickly spun around to see what it was. It wasn't long until the large man was taken down too.

Nearby, two more Tracksuits were closing in. One of them was pulled down and accidentally shot the foot of the one in front. He groaned in pain but was silenced immediately afterward.

Maya looked around, seeing that her men weren't around. She pulled out her handgun, holding it up, and immediately shot at the shadowy figure sprinting behind the cars. She ended up emptying her clip and not landing a single shot.

She dropped her pistol and the Ronin came out of the shadows. He held his sword and slowly walked up to Maya.

Maya glared and immediately charged the ninja. She landed kicks with her metal prosthetic leg but Ronin blocked them with his sword. He stabbed down but Maya pinned it to the floor and disarmed him, taking the sword for herself.

She slashed the shoulder of Ronin and he let out a grunt. She tried to attack again but he blocked it with his gauntlet. He countered with a punch across her face and kicked the sword out of her hand.

With no weapon, Ronin and Maya engaged one another again in hand-to-hand combat. Maya grabbed his neck but he escaped her hold with a hard kick to the stomach. Maya fell back but quickly recovered.

Suddenly, a stray bullet hit the car near Ronin. He looked back and saw four Tracksuit reinforcements arriving. He dove out of the way of another gunshot and took cover.

Before they can advance on him, a web line pulled the gun out of the man's grasp. He looked up but couldn't react fast enough as a foot planted on his face.

"Argh!" He grunted and fell to the floor.

Spider-Man landed in front of the men and faced them. With the men distracted, Ronin took the opportunity to engage Maya again.

"How many of you are there? You guys respawn like NPCs or what?" Y/N asked.

Spider-Man combatted the Tracksuits while Ronin fought Maya. Ronin dove for his sword and reacquired it. Maya charged and tried to land a kick, but Ronin trapped her leg and threw her aside.

The hooded ninja slowly walked up to the downed Tracksuit leader and pointed his sword at her.

Maya looked up at her assailant and father's killer. Ronin moved his hand toward his hood and pulled it off...revealing himself to be Clint Barton. All Maya could do was glare.

"I wanted you...to see my face." Clint spoke as he gestured in sign language as well.

Maya could read his lips and responded in signs. "So I can watch you kill me?"

"No." Clint said. "But if you or anyone comes after me or my family...it will be the last thing you do. You have my word. You and I, we're the same."

"You're a monster." Maya shot back.

"We're weapons. But when you're filled with rage, it makes you blind. It could be used, could be manipulated. Trust me, I know."

He continued. "I was here that night...tipped off by an informant that works for your boss." Clint noticed her surprised reaction. He emphasized it with sign language. "Yes. Your boss."

"You're lying."

"Your boss wanted your father dead. Now he's using you—"

Maya immediately kicked his foot. Clint thrust his sword forward but missed the woman. She grabbed his arm and pulled him down, hitting his head against the car behind her. He took his sword and raised it over her head, ready to stab it down on Clint.

An arrow suddenly hit the blade and it fell out of Maya's hands. It clattered on the floor and she looked back, seeing Kate Bishop on the roof with her bow drawn.

Maya simply glared at her, then looked back to see that Clint was gone. She turned to her right and saw Spider-Man taking down the last Tracksuit, before deciding to flee. She hopped on her motorbike and left the auto repair shop.

Y/N landed the final hit on the Tracksuit's face and knocked him out. He looked out and saw Maya fleeing. The plan wasn't to get her but to assist Barton, so he let her go. Y/N looked up and saw Kate on the roof, where they exchanged nods before walking away.

He let go of the unconscious man's collar and allowed him to fall to the ground. With an exhale, he leaped up and initiated a swing out of the lot.

• • •

LATER THAT DAY, Clint and Kate stopped by Grills's apartment, which was a place the fireman was more than willing to let them hold up in.

The man fed Pizza Dog and made him do tricks. Kate was in awe as Clint sat down and ate his cereal.

"Let me try." Kate said and grabbed a treat. She faced Pizza Dig. "Dance."

The dog didn't listen and simply held out his paw.

"No, dance."

Again, he didn't listen. She gave him the treat anyway.

"You made it look so easy and cool." Kate told Grills, to which he responded with a laugh.

"Yeah, Grills is cool." She added before looking back at him. "You can cook, you can LARP, you can put out fires."

"Ah. Stop it." He chuckled and continued eating.

Kate's phone began to vibrate and she pulled it out of her pocket, seeing that it was an incoming call from Y/N. She was going to mention his name but realized Grills was there.

"Oh...um...Spider-Man is calling." She said.

Grills looked at her. "For real?"

She answered the call and spoke before Y/N can. "Uh, Spider-Man, great you called. Just know that you're on speaker with Me, Clint, and our friend, Grills. And Pizza Dog."

Y/N understood on the other end. "Oh, cool. Just wanted to make sure everybody's okay. Isn't Grills the guy you said was making that surprise thing for me?"

"Mister Spider-Man!" Grills was eager to speak. "It's an honor, really. Doing that thing for you and being a part of this. You know, while a buncha dudes at the station favor Cap and Thor...I rep you."

"I appreciate that, Grills. Love for the underdog!"

"Yeah!"

Clint glanced and Kate and the two shared a chuckle.

"You should stop by. Even with your mask still on, I don't care. Or you don't have to. I can keep a secret."

Y/N snickered. "I'd love to, just...gotta keep up with my patrol, you know?"

Kate's phone vibrated again and she got a text message mid-call. She looked at it and saw that it was from an unknown number.

Kate Bishop. I found out who hired me.

With her name alone, she knew who it was from: Yelena. She awaited her next message as the three dots continued to load.

Eleanor Bishop.

Thought you deserved to know.

Kate let out a gasp after reading the message. Seconds later, Yelena sent a video and the thumbnail shook her to her core as well. Clint raised a brow upon seeing her reaction. Even Y/N, who was still on the line, questioned the silence.

"Kate?" Clint asked.

She let out a shuddered breath and slid the phone toward him. "Look at this. Is that—is that him with my mom?"

Clint looked at the video's thumbnail. He scratched his chin and nodded.

"That's the guy we've been worried about this whole time..."

"...Kingpin."

Kate let out an exhale and took the phone back. Immediately, she played the video that was sent to her.

Wilson Fisk walked into the room. It was already occupied by Eleanor Bishop and another enforcer of his who escorted the lady to the office. The building they were in wasn't his tower but a smaller building that he owned nearby.

"Ms. Bishop." The large man with a cane greeted.

"Mister Fisk." She greeted back with a handshake.

Wilson motioned toward his enforcer. "Leave us."

He obliged and left the room. Fisk sat down behind the desk and Eleanor returned to her seat across from him.

"What can I help you with, Eleanor?"

"We've had a good relationship, haven't we, Wilson?"

"Yes."

"I've never asked questions. I've always done what was told."

Fisk nodded. "What I'd expect when there's a debt, and your husband owed a small fortune."

"Which I have repaid tenfold by now." Eleanor replied.

"All the while doing pretty well for yourself. Like you said, it's been a good relationship...which is why I'm pretty confused where you're headed with this. We could've...spoken...during the festivities tonight."

"I handled Armand like you asked. I hired the mercenaries for you to divert the attention away from your business with Silvio. My fiancée is taking the fall for Sloan. But my daughter...my daughter is home now and she's getting too close. And that's where I draw the line."

"There are no lines in this business." Kingpin responded with a shake of his head.

"And that is why I have to leave this business." She shot back.

"Eleanor, don't be rash."

"I want you to know...that I have been keeping an insurance policy."

Fisk stared at her, knowing where she was getting at. "Eleanor..."

"Copies of everything. From dealings you made on the onset of the Blip to more recent transactions. They are all in a safe place."

"Is this a threat?" He asked.

"Just leverage." She replied. "Your two arch enemies in costumes aren't the only ones that know about Agent Nadeem, Wilson."

Kingpin's lip twitched. The man's tone raised despite trying to hold back his anger.

"In the spirit of the holidays, I'm gonna give you a minute to think about what you're starting right now."

She shook her head. "I don't need a minute."

Eleanor got up and left the office. Fisk watched as the removed herself, and then stared at the wall ahead...his lip continuing to twitch.

The video concluded. Clint overheard the conversation and Y/N was still on the line. Grills had already left the room with Pizza Dog.

"Who sent that?" Clint asked.

"Yelena." Kate answered. "Apparently my mom is the one who hired her and Davis to kill you two." She shook her head, not being able to believe it. "It doesn't make any sense. My mom doesn't even...she doesn't even jaywalk. And now she's working for the mob? She killed Armand?"

"Kate—" Y/N spoke through the phone.

"She's the one who threatened me with jail time for that damn bell tower accident...but here she is working for Kingpin." She exhaled and stood up. "My God, I need to talk to her."

"Kate, wait. You gotta calm down, okay?" Clint reassured her. "Let's talk this out. Just take a breath. But your mom needs our help."

Kate composed herself for a moment and faced Clint. The archer continued.

"That video, Kate, it's not good. The Kingpin will not take this lightly. He is going to react, and he's going to do it in a big way. Y/N's seen the worst of it. He understands."

"He's not keen to threats. I hate to say it, but she put a target on her back by simply mentioning Agent Nadeem. Fisk will handle anybody that basically puts Vanessa in danger."

"Guys...this is my mess to clean up." She began. "Clint, you should go home, you should be with your family. You can still make it in time for Christmas."

"Kate, you're my partner." Clint emphasized. "Your mess is my mess. I'm not going anywhere until this is finished. I'm sure the kid's got the same sentiment."

Y/N responded. "You can't push me away, Kate. We're in this together. And together, we're gonna stop that fat son of a bitch before he can hurt your mom."

Kate heard his reply, softly smiling after his determined statement. She looked back at Clint, who gave a nod.

"Couldn't have said so better, myself."

• • •

THE DEAF WOMAN walked into the office. Christmas music played softly within. Inside, Wilson Fisk sat at a table with Kazi.

"There she is." He said as he got up and walked toward Maya.

The two joined up in the middle of the room. Kazi stood beside his boss-slash-uncle figure, ready to translate his words into sign language for Maya.

"I've seen you at the end of some tough matches, but this? Do you want to tell me what's been going on?"

Maya didn't respond, simply glancing at Kazi. After what Clint revealed to her earlier that day, she's been suspicious of her friend and uncle figure.

"I always taught you to keep a low profile." He added.

She signed as Kazi translated. "I'm sorry. I got carried away. You know what my father meant to me."

"To all of us." Fisk replied.

"I've come to my senses. I need to focus on the job. Stop chasing ghosts."

Fisk glanced at Kazi for a moment before meeting Maya's stare.

"That's quite the turnaround." He said.

"I've realized no matter what I do, I can't bring my father back. Finding whoever killed him, that won't change anything."

"He would've wanted you to move on. He always wanted...the best for you. I only wish he could be here now to see you and all your accomplishments."

There was a pause before Maya replied. "If it's okay with you, I'd like a couple of days off, to clear my head."

"Yes, that's reasonable." Fisk responded.

Maya turned around, but Fisk grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her before she could leave.

"Maya." Fisk chose to sign the next three words. "I love you."

"I love you." She signed back before leaving the office.

Fisk watched as the woman left. He looked down and exhaled before turning around and facing Kazi.

"The Ronin is running around the city. An Avenger has taken an outsized interest in our operations. Spider-Man...destroys a once in a lifetime opportunity to better this town. And now the Bishop woman...she thinks that she can quit her job as if she works for Goldman Sachs! And Maya...my Maya...she's turned on us."

Kazi nodded, sensing the woman's tone from before. "Yeah."

"What will we do about it?" Fisk asked.

The Clown stood at attention, looking forward and not at Fisk.

"I will handle her, sir."

Fisk nodded.

"The people...they need to be reminded...that the city belongs to me."

• • •

AFTER AN ENTIRE evening of perpetration, Kate Bishop and Clint Barton arrived at Rockefeller Center. The twenty-year-old and her mentor wore formal attire for the event, blending in perfectly with the rest of the attendees.

They walked into the building and made it to the floor the party was taking place.

"I don't see my mom, yet." Kate said.

"Well, what do you see? Threats, assets, tell me." Clint replied.

"Threats?" Kate looked ahead at one of the employees. "That guy. That's Gary. Fired me from one of the only jobs I've ever had. Assets? Well, we have those all over the party."

She glanced around, seeing the LARPers in their disguises as servers and waiters. Clint handed Kate an earpiece and put one in his ear as well.

"Kid? You hear us?" Clint asked.

Outside of the venue, Spider-Man was perched on a building across from the one they were in.

"I hear you loud and clear." He replied. "Whoa, I can see my apartment from here."

"Stay on comms, all right?" Clint told the two. "I'm gonna go take a lap."

Y/N looked down at his new suit. It was basically the same bright red-and-blue one as before but had better elasticity and was made from superior material. He was going to have to ask Grills where they get their fabrics.

"I gotta say, they knocked it out of the park with this suit." Y/N remarked.

"I'll make sure to tell them that." Kate replied.

"Forget that, I'll thank them myself."

Back inside, Kate and Clint surveyed the area. Unbeknownst to them, Yelena Belova had entered the venue as well. Moments later, there was a collective murmur as the city's prominent figure finally arrived...Wilson Fisk. He was joined by a security detail led by an African-American man in a suit.

"Heads up. Big boy is here." Clint informed them.

"Yup, I know. Really hard to miss." Kate replied. "See my mom anywhere?"

"Nope."

After a couple of minutes, Eleanor Bishop finally arrived. Kate spotted her and informed her partners via comms.

"Found her."

She walked over to Eleanor, who was happy to see her daughter. She quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside to talk with her.

Back outside, Spider-Man awaited a go-ahead in case things went awry. Then, the young man heard the ringing between his ears and honed in on his spider-sense. He looked around until finally spotting the glare of a sniper rifle in the building across from the venue.

"Clint! I got a sniper located west!" Y/N exclaimed and leaped off the building he was on.

The archer heard the call out and noticed the red dot by his chest at the last second. He grabbed the tray Wendy held, who stood beside him, and deflected the bullet before it can hit. They dove for cover and patrons began to scream in panic.

"Get the people out of here!" Clint told Wendy before running through the room.

Kazi, the sniper across the street, kept shooting at the fleeing Barton. Spider-Man swung toward the building he was in but was met with gunfire from a few other gunmen on separate floors.

"This is not very jolly." Y/N exclaimed as he dodged bullets mid-swing.

Clint succeeded in fleeing and Kazi stopped shooting for a moment. He noticed Spider-Man coming their way.

"Barton's here with the girl and Spider-Man." Kazi informed Fisk via his earpiece.

Inside the venue, Fisk had his enforcers around him. He was irate that the heroes ruined the assassination attempt on Eleanor Bishop.

"You will not leave your post until they are dead." Fisk muttered into his comms. He then looked at the African American man beside him. "You handle the arachnid, Mr. Davis."

The man nodded before removing himself from the rest of the security detail.

Guests clamored as they ran out of the venue. Kate left her mother in the kitchen for one of the LARPers to help escort her out while she went to assist Barton.

Amidst the chaos, she spotted Yelena and went to confront her before she can get to Clint.

Outside, Spider-Man was dealing with the snipers. He swung toward a window and crashed through it, kicking one of the gunmen into the wall.

"That's one down." He said as he broke his rifle in half.

Y/N backflipped out of the window and free-fell down several floors before zipping toward another window.

He went through it and got on all fours, seeing two other Tracksuits in position.

They didn't get to react as Spider-Man sprinted through the corridor and stepped off the wall, punching one of the gunmen to the floor. The second Tracksuit raised his rifle and blindly shot, but fortunately missed. Y/N grabbed the nozzle of the gun and pulled it out of his grasp before hitting him in the face with it.

"I got three of the four snipers. Trying to locate the last one." Y/N informed his partners.

"I spotted him. It's Kazi. I'm going after him." Clint replied. "Might be a challenge since I also have Yelena on my ass."

"Yele—?"

Suddenly, his spider-sense went off. The hero looked out of the window and spotted a few of the Trust-a-Bro vans stopped on the road by the ice rink.

"Well, shit." Y/N muttered.

"Everything all right?" Clint asked.

"Looks like the Bros are here. A lot of them."

"I'll handle Kazi. Make sure to keep the bumbling idiots from entering the venue."

Spider-Man quickly leaped out of the window and swung toward the ground level of the plaza. He kicked one of the Tracksuits down and landed in front of a group.

"Spider-Man! You're dead!" One of the masked criminals exclaimed.

Y/N chuckled. "Buddy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that..."

They quickly engaged the web-slinger and attacked. He leaped over one of them and kicked the head of the man behind him.

Y/N immediately swept the legs of a Tracksuit who was about to strike him with a crowbar. He quickly webbed the melee weapon and heaved it into the stomach of another criminal, forcing him to the floor where he groaned in pain.

Another Tracksuit stood back and aimed a handgun at Spider-Man. Before he can fire, Kate, who was rappelling down the building, landed on the enemy and knocked him down.

Spider-Man roundhouse kicked the last man of the group and turned around to face Kate.

"Saved my ass." He remarked.

"Really?" She replied.

He shrugged. "Nah. I would've dodged the bullet, but thanks anyway."

They shared a laugh before engaging several other Tracksuits who arrived. They were surprisingly joined by Jack Duquesne, who brandished a sword and took down a Tracksuit member.

"Jack?" Kate asked in confusion.

He beamed. "Hello, sweetie."

"Behind you!" Kate pointed.

Jack parried a strike from an enemy and knocked him down with a punch. Another man came to attack Jack but he dodged his hit and slashed him across the back.

"Holy shit." Y/N muttered as he looked at him. "That's so cool. You're like...Zorro."

"I appreciate the compliment, hombre-araña."

"Look, Jack, I'm so sorry my mom put you in jail. Are you okay?" Kate apologized.

"Never been better. But I've seen to lost track of your mother."

Kate exhaled. "You and me both."

Unbeknownst to them, Clint had gotten himself stuck in the Rockefeller Christmas tree after his fight with Kazi. Kate tried locating her mentor until he informed them of his predicament.

"What are you doing up there?" Kate asked.

"Just hanging out. What do you think?"

Kate saw the LARPers come out of the building. She immediately ran toward them.

"Guys, guys, where's my gear? I need my gear."

"Missy!" Grills called out.

"Here! Here!" She exclaimed and handed Kate the bag.

"Any eyes on my mom yet?" She asked.

"Not yet."

"No? Okay. Look, we need to get Clint out of that tree. Clear the civilians for me."

Suddenly, they felt a rumbling beneath their feet. Y/N, who stood idly by, felt his spider-sense go off.

Down the road came Rhino. Bystanders ran away at the sight of the villain while the LARPers and Kate looked on in shock.

"You've got to be shitting me." Y/N muttered.

"What the hell is that?" Grills asked.

"Looks like the Bros fished Alexei out of the river. And he might be really pissed." Y/N replied then looked at Kate. "Get Clint out of the tree. I'll handle Rhino."

Kate nodded and Y/N sprinted away before initiating a swing. He confronted Rhino in a side street by the ice rink. The hero landed in a three-point stance in front of Alexei.

"Little spider..." Rhino grumbled.

"Hey, big guy. No hard feelings on the accidental swim?"

"Alexei still has water in his suit!"

"Yeah, that might be a problem. Maybe you should get that taken care of before—"

Rhino yelled as he charged Spider-Man. The web-slinger dove out of the way and got back to his feet. Rhino quickly pulled a street light out from the ground and tried striking Spider-Man with it like he was a bug.

"Hey! That's not a toy." Y/N exclaimed as he dodged.

"It'll be fun squashing your puny little face." He replied as he threw the street light at him.

He leaped over it, but upon looking back he saw the object about to hit a couple that was running. He shot two web lines at it and kept it from harming the civilians.

Y/N wasn't able to let out a sigh of relief as Rhino grabbed the distracted Spider-Man and threw him into an empty shop. Y/N crashed through the window and exited out another back onto the street.

"Ugh...ow." Y/N groaned amidst glass and debris.

Rhino slammed his fist into the ground and pulled out a slab of concrete. He threw it at Y/N but the web-slinger moved out of the way of the incoming rock.

Alexei charged Spider-Man again and he leaped over him. Rhino ended up jamming his horn into the wall of a building, and the impact forced a chunk of rock to fall onto him. Rhino grunted in pain.

Y/N looked to his right and saw a parked car. Immediately, he ran over to it and started to lift it. Mentally, he apologized to the owner of the BMW he was about to wreck.

"For the greater good...for the greater good." He grunted as he carried the fancy car over his head.

Y/N let out a yell as he threw the car at Rhino. It impacted him and dislodged him from the wall. He fell to the floor and more rubble from the building fell onto him. He groaned in discomfort.

"You...will...die for that, Spider-Man." Alexei groaned as he got up.

During the exchange, Y/N looked over toward the ice rink as the Christmas tree fell. He figured Kate finally found a way to get Clint down.

"Come on." Y/N gestured his hands as if he had a red cloth. "Toro! Toro!"

Rhino bellowed as he charged Spider-Man again. Once he got close, he rolled out of the way. Rhino impacted another wall and got stuck again. The villain was pretty stupid.

Y/N went over and picked up another car, not forgetting to mentally apologize again for destruction of someone's property. He was prepared to throw it at Rhino and finally defeat him.

"One more should do the—"

Suddenly, his spider-sense blared. Y/N looked up at the exact moment a small explosive stuck to the car he was carrying. His lenses widened as it blew up along with the vehicle, sending Spider-Man flying back down the road.

Y/N groaned. His suit had a few rips now and burn marks. Out of the smoke...came The Prowler.

"It ends here youngin'." Aaron spoke in his modulated voice.

Y/N knew how dangerous the mercenary was. He wasn't a fool like Rhino. He had to be serious about dealing with him. Without a quip, he raised his arms and shot webbing into his face.

Prowler was disoriented for a moment but ended up ripping the webbing off with his claws. Spider-Man charged him and landed a hit across his face but Prowler grabbed his fist on the next attack. He threw Spider-Man against a street light nearby.

The mercenary shot energy beams in his direction but Y/N dodged them. Unbeknownst to him, Rhino had dislodged himself, and was charging forward. His spider-sense alerted him at the last second but he was hit anyway. Y/N crashed into a wall.

"Systevich! I'll handle him!" Prowler exclaimed.

"My boss said it's my job!"

"Well, my boss is your boss's superior!"

"Ugh! But the spider is Rhino's—"

Alexei was suddenly hit by another car and sent flying back. Rhino hit the wall and more rubble piled onto him, taking him down again.

Prowler looked ahead and saw Spider-Man who had just thrown the vehicle, holding his arm and panting.

"This makes things simpler." Prowler remarked. "It's just you and me."

Spider-Man didn't respond and zipped toward him. Prowler moved out of the way and Y/N punched the ground behind him. Aaron swiped his claws across his back and Y/N let out a yell but countered with a swift back kick at his masked face.

Y/N landed another kick into his abdomen and sent Prowler back. The mercenary rolled across the floor but stopped himself by jamming his claws into the asphalt. Prowler shot his energy beams at Spider-Man but the hero was able to evade them as he ran toward the enemy.

Spider-Man dodged the last beam and landed a hit across his face. With the two now in close quarters, Prowler activated a blade from his gauntlet. He swiped at Y/N and ended up cutting his pec.

"Argh!" Y/N grunted but landed a hard hit at his mask, cracking it and breaking an eyepiece off.

Prowler countered by jabbing his electrified claws into his left arm. Y/N grunted amidst the jolts but kicked himself away from the man.

Aaron stared the hero down before throwing several nodes on the ground. Holograms of himself quickly appeared.

"Holograms? Can't face me yourself?" Y/N remarked amidst pants.

Spider-Man evaded attacks from the conjured hard-light holograms and honed in on his spider-sense. He locked in on the real Prowler and zipped toward him, grabbing his arm and slamming his body onto a bench. He continued holding him and threw Aaron into the road.

Prowler raised his arm and tried to shoot an energy beam, but Y/N leaped onto him and forced his arm in another direction.

The beam hit the wall that was beside the downed Rhino. The large armored man tried getting out of the rubble, but the beam caused more debris to fall on him. Rhino stayed down.

Y/N crushed Aaron's gauntlet with his strength, disabling his energy projection. The young man started wailing punches at the mercenary's mask until it fully cracked open, revealing Aaron Davis's face.

For a moment, Y/N seemed to recognize him. It was the same man who gave him the tip of Toomes's deal on the ferry years ago.

As the teenager thought, Aaron quickly activated the blade on his other gauntlet and stabbed into Spider-Man's side. Y/N grunted in pain and fell over, with the exhausted and bruised Prowler also rolling to his side.

Meanwhile, Clint and Kate had dealt with the dozens of Tracksuit Mafia at the ice rink using their variety of trick arrows. Kate ended up leaving her mentor to find Eleanor. Yelena ended up confronting Barton and their skirmish was coming to an end.

Y/N held his bleeding wound and began to cover it up with webbing. Prowler tried crawling away, but Spider-Man stumbled forward and webbed the man's foot to the floor.

He tried getting closer but Y/N fell to his knees, still holding his wound. Despite the new material his suit was made of, it was now riddled with tears and stained with blood.

"You're beat, Aaron." Y/N groaned, looking down as he caught his breath.

Prowler looked at his left hand, seeing the gauntlet that wasn't crushed. He began to charge an energy beam to shoot Y/N with, but before he can turn around, the mercenary was shot with a red electrical current. Aaron writhed in pain before finally dropping down, unconscious.

Y/N looked up and saw who took him down. It was a blonde-haired girl wearing an all-black tactical uniform.

Yelena.

The assassin had just spared Clint after having a heart-to-heart with him over Natasha. She glanced at the web-slinger for a moment before adjusting her Widow's bites.

"I never liked him." Yelena remarked before walking away.

He didn't get to say a thank you as the assassin left the scene. The man groaned as he got up, speaking into his earpiece.

"Clint? Kate?" He called out, stumbling down the road as he did. "Kate?"

"Stay away from my mom!" Kate commanded as she pointed her bow at Wilson Fisk. Eleanor was in the car as he towered over it, prepared to finish the Bishop matriarch off himself.

"What are you going to do with that?" Kingpin asked the archer.

Kate shot an arrow at him, which pierced through his floral shirt but stopped at the armored vest beneath. He broke the arrow off with a swipe of his cane.

"What?" Kate muttered in disbelief.

She shot a grappling arrow at him but the large man grabbed the projectile, tugging the wire and pulling Kate toward him. He backhanded her and sent the girl flying backward.

"The daughter..." Fisk said as he fixed his cufflinks and took off his large coat. He discarded his hat as well. "Eleanor's right. You've gotten too close."

Kate groaned and lifted her head, feeling the sting of his backhand from before. Fisk towered over her and brandished his cane.

"I rarely use this. But to make this quick and painless, I'll make an exception." He added as the diamond on his cane started to charge.

Suddenly, he was kicked from behind by a swinging Spider-Man. The man stumbled a bit before falling to his side. Y/N perched on the side of the building as Fisk got back up.

"Nice of you to drop by, Spider-Man." Fisk stated. "I assume you've bested Mister Davis."

"And now I gotta deal with you." He replied. "Where're your henchmen? Did you eat them?"

Fisk chuckled before shooting a red beam from his cane.

Y/N leaped off as it impacted the wall and kicked Fisk in the face. He landed behind him and Kingpin swung his cane, but Y/N ducked and countered with an uppercut.

Kingpin took the hit and grabbed Spider-Man by the throat, holding him up in place. Kate got back to her feet and shot an arrow that pierced Fisk's thigh. He groaned in pain and Kate ran toward him, but the bulky villain shot the ground by her feet and heaved her away.

Y/N quickly hit the sides of his head with both hands. Fisk grunted from the discombobulation and let Spider-Man go, where the web-slinger landed several hits on his abdomen.

Fisk swung his cane but Y/N grabbed it before it can hit him. Y/N countered with a right hook across Kingpin's face, but it didn't seem to phase him. He head-butted Spider-Man and the teenager stumbled back.

Y/N was already exhausted, hurt, and weakened from his fight with Rhino and Prowler. He wasn't at full strength or had the energy to fight the almost-seven-foot, 99% muscle crime lord.

Kingpin hit Y/N's face twice before grabbing his throat again. He tightened his grip second by second and started to choke the hero.

"You come back from the dead and ruin everything! You take Wesley from me...tried to take away my Vanessa...then ruined a golden opportunity of mine..."

The weakened and still injured Y/N struggled in the strong man's grasp.

"Now...I want to look into the eyes of the nuisance that's been a thorn in my side as he takes his final breath." He added.

Fisk reached over to remove Y/N's mask, but before he could, he heard the rev of an engine. He looked to his right but couldn't react as Eleanor drove her car into Fisk. Y/N dropped from his grasp as Kingpin crashed through the window of a shop.

Y/N coughed but still stayed on the ground, going in and out of consciousness. Kate had recovered, seeing her partner down as well as her unconscious mother in the vehicle.

Kingpin slowly got up, being able to despite being hit by a car at full speed. Kate noticed this and leaped through the hole, now standing face to face with Fisk.

"Where you going, big guy?" She taunted before jumping up and trying to punch him.

Fisk moved away and grabbed her bow. Kate still held on as he dragged her across the floor.

"You're in over your head!" He exclaimed and threw her down.

He left her there and made her way to the broken wall, adamant about killing Eleanor and Spider-Man. Kate quickly retrieved her bow and shot an electrical net arrow that blocked his path.

Fisk snarled and looked back, seeing Kate charging him. She swung her bow but Fisk grabbed it and hit her in the stomach, the force sending the archer flying into a gingerbread house display.

Kate dropped her quiver during the struggle. She crawled over to get it, but Kingpin grabbed her and threw her across the room. He picked up the quiver and pulled out the trick arrows.

"Mind your own business!" He yelled as he broke the bundle of arrows in half.

Kate panted as she looked up, then sprang to her feet to engage Fisk. She jumped onto his arm and wrapped her legs around it, but the large man simply flailed his limb and threw her off.

The archer recovered and slid under his legs to get behind him. He turned around just when she rushed him and Kingpin simply pushed her away like an NFL lineman.

"You're really starting to annoy me." Fisk grumbled as he walked over toward the downed Bishop.

Kate quickly held up a cufflink, one that she ended up taking from Fisk during the fight. She used Barton's trick she learned and flicked it toward one of the broken arrows by his feet.

It hit the tip of one of them and activated an electrical current that connected with the other arrow tips. The electricity hit one of the dangerous-marked tips, and in a matter of seconds, it exploded.

Kate took cover and shielded her face. The combined force of the explosive arrow, shockwave arrow, and flare arrow sent Fisk flying across the room. He hit the wall and then the floor. Now unconscious, Wilson Fisk was out and finally down for the count.

The archer got to her feet and gave one last look at the defeated crime boss. The electrical netting she deployed earlier had deactivated which allowed her to exit through the hole in the wall. She looked at Y/N and her mother, the former slowly beginning to get up.

"Check...check on your mom." Y/N breathed out.

Kate ran over to the side of the car and noticed Eleanor stirring awake.

"Mom? Mom?" Kate called out.

"Oh...Kate." Eleanor exhaled as she spotted her. "Are you okay?"

She helped her mother out and the two embraced. Eleanor began to cry.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, baby." She sobbed before parting. "We're gonna put this behind us. You'll see. Okay? It will all go back to normal."

Kate paused for a moment before responding. "It's never been normal, Mom. I think part of me has always known that."

"Honey, this was just an unfortunate arrangement. And it's over."

"Killing Armand? Hiring assassins to kill Clint? Kill my friend?" She gestured toward Spider-Man. "Framing your own fiancé? That's an unfortunate arrangement?"

"Yes, sweetie." She replied. "That's how the world works. I've protected you from it. You may not have known what was going on, but I did it for you. I know what it's like to have nothing. And you can't handle it."

Kate shook her head. While Clint and Y/N believed she could handle herself...her mother thought the complete opposite.

"How do you know what I can't handle?" She asked.

"Because I know you. And I know that you think you can live your life without consequences just like your father. But someone has to clean things up. Someone has to take responsibility."

As she talked with her daughter, police cruisers arrived at the scene. Captain George Stacy and Sergeant Yuri Watanabe exited one of them.

"You're right." Kate told Eleanor. "Someone does."

A detective walked up to the Bishop matriarch and took out his handcuffs.

"Mrs. Bishop, you're under arrest for the murder of Armand Duquesne III. Turn around, please."

Kate watched as the officer cuffed her mother. Eleanor looked back at her daughter.

"Is this what heroes do?" She asked Kate. "Arrest their mothers on Christmas?"

Kate stared at her. "I'm sorry. I love you, Mom."

"Let's go." The detective told the speechless woman. He escorted her to a cruiser, and Kate let out a deep breath as if she was holding it in during the entire exchange.

Afterward, Kate went over to Y/N. The teenager sat up and groaned as he held his bruised and bleeding side.

"Y/N!" She breathed out as she knelt beside him.

"Ugh...who's Y/N? It's Spider-Man, ma'am." He jested, knowing that there were people around.

She let out a quick chuckle before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. Y/N still felt discomfort but ignored it as he accepted the embrace.

Suddenly, a couple of officers walked up to the young duo. One had his hand by his gun holster.

"Spider-Man. You are under arrest on several counts of damaging property, assault and battery, and disorderly conduct. Get on your feet."

"What? Wait—" Kate began.

"Disorderly conduct? I thought I was the one being orderly." Y/N remarked.

Before things could escalate, Captain Stacy went up to the officers. He motioned them back.

"Fernandez. Grayson. There's no need." He told them. "Spider-Man was never here."

The two officers glanced at each other then back at their superior. Their job was to apprehend suspected criminals, but if their Captain said otherwise, they were willing to listen.

"Of course, Captain." Fernandez replied and walked away with his partner.

Captain Stacy held his hand out for Y/N. The web-slinger took it and got to his feet, still surprised at the officer's actions.

"Captain—"

"Merry Christmas." He joked. "Besides, the paperwork that'd be necessary for you...I don't want to deal with it."

Y/N laughed but groaned after feeling an ache. "Heh, that's smarts."

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Kate asked him.

"No. None of those." Y/N quickly replied.

George Stacy thought for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll get an unmarked ambulance to tend to y'all."

Again, Y/N was taken aback by his kindness. This time, Kate was the one who remarked on the fact.

"You're...you're too kind."

George had a soft spot for young heroes like them. He remembered Spider-Man saving his daughter in Washington D.C years ago and also in Europe. The fact that Gwen also dated another on-the-rise hero, Peter Parker, contributed to it.

"And I hope it doesn't bite me in the ass down the line." He chuckled before walking off. "I'll tell the cab to meet you by the ice rink."

They watched as the Captain went away to rejoin Watanabe and other officers. Y/N looked at Kate and gave a nod. With an arm around her for support, the two made their way down the street.