Honor Among Thieves

It was only a few days before Valentine's Day, but none of the people at the Empire State University gathering were in a romantic mood. Barely two days had passed since the maniacal flamethrowing supervillain Firebrand had attacked the Empire State University campus, killing fourteen people and wounding more than a dozen others in the process. The spectacular Spider-Woman had confronted Firebrand in an attempt to protect Firebrand's victims, but he had nearly killed her as well. Now, a memorial was being held for Firebrand's victims, as the victims' friends and survivors of the attack grieved for the dead.

The sense of grief in the air was palpable, and of all the mourners Gwen Stacy likely felt it the most keenly of all. As Spider-Woman, she had failed to stop Firebrand, and she felt as responsible as Firebrand for the deaths of his victims. Holding a bouquet of white lilies in her hand, she stood quietly among the gathered mourners, her eyes closed. She barely heard any of the speakers, as her mind's eye replayed her desperate battle with Firebrand over and over again.

Gwen opened her eyes as she moved to join the line of mourners placing their flowers in the appropriate place. Despite her eyes' haunted, faraway look, Gwen seemed to be aware of everything around her as the lien proceeded. Kneeling down briefly, she placed her bouquet along with the others.

I'm sorry, she thought, as her eyes each shed a single tear.

I'm so, so sorry…

Please forgive me…

SPIDER-WOMAN #90

HONOR AMONG THIEVES

Randy Robertson was waiting for Gwen as she left the line. As Gwen slowly came up to Randy, he was shaken at how pale she looked. Dark circles were conspicuous under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days-and Randy suspected that sleep wasn't coming easily to her. Over the last few days since Gwen's battle with Firebrand, she had mostly kept to herself, determined to catch up on her schoolwork. On the few occasions that Randy had seen her, she'd been able to keep up a brave front, but she was having more and more trouble keeping it up.

"Do you want to get some coffee?" Randy asked Gwen gently, taking a bit of heart at the faint smile she gave him.

It wasn't long before they were sitting comfortably at the Coffee Bean, Gwen's latte returning a bit of color to her cheeks. Randy was glad to see that-he hadn't really wanted Gwen to come to the memorial, knowing how hard she would take it, but she had insisted.

Randy contemplated asking Gwen how she was holding up, but they both knew he was a bad liar.

"You can't blame yourself for this, Gwen," Randy said bluntly.

Gwen looked up at him in surprise, her eyes widening.

"But-" Gwen started.

"No buts," Randy interrupted her. "Firebrand caused all this, not you. You tried to stop him, remember? Daredevil wasn't here, Moon Knight wasn't here, Luke Cage wasn't here, the X-Men weren't here, you were. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I…I know it does," Gwen said after a few moments. "But seeing what happened to all those people-it's just like Supercharger or Jack O' Lantern," she continued, referring to some of her other enemies who left large body counts in their wake.

"And you brought those sick freaks to justice, right?" Randy reminded her. "They're rotting in prison where they belong…and you're going to do it to Firebrand too. You won't let him get away with this," he continued encouragingly.

Randy was glad to see Gwen's smile, but he could tell that wasn't all there was to it. Even despite Gwen's smile, Randy could see the tension in her shoulders, and the way she gripped her latte cup.

"There's something else though, isn't there?" Randy asked, more quietly this time.

Gwen's slumping shoulders spoke volumes, even before she said anything.

"It just seems like nothing's going right anymore," she said quietly. "I know I haven't always managed things as well as I could, but when I actually start trying to do things differently, they just blow up in my face. I'm trying to take more time for myself, and pay more attention to my schoolwork, and I can't even do that because I keep having to fight my old enemies. What's the point anymore?" Gwen asked, the frustration in her voice obvious as her hands began to shake.

Gently, Randy reached out and took her hands in his, clasping them until they stopped shaking.

"I don't know everything," Randy said, "but I know that you need me right now. Valentine's Day is this Saturday-we'll do something special together."

"But what about the family gathering you have coming up?" Gwen asked. Randy's mother Louise Robertson had made it clear that Gwen wasn't welcome at the gathering. Louise and her husband Isaiah Robertson had both made it clear how much they disliked Gwen, despite Randy's attempts to change their minds.

"There'll be other gatherings," Randy shook his head. "Right now, you need-"

"But they're your family!" Gwen protested.

"Yes they are, and I love them," Randy replied, "but I love you too. And like I was saying, you need me more than they do right now."

Gwen stood up in response, reaching out to hug Randy tightly.

Randy stood up as well, taking Gwen into his arms and returning her hug twice over.

Gwen leaned against him, her eyes closed and a relieved smile crossing her face.

At that moment, nothing mattered more to Randy than that smile.

The time Gwen spent with Randy on Valentine's Day turned out to be just what she needed. They watched some of their favorite movies, In The Heat Of The Night and The Lion In Winter, Randy massaged the tension and fatigue out of Gwen's back and shoulders, Gwen cooked a delicious lasagna for them to share, and they spent much of the evening simply laying together in one another's arms.

By the time they had shared one last kiss and Randy had left for the evening, Gwen was feeling much better. She thought back to all of the past problems she'd had, ranging from being kicked out of her father's house when she was seventeen, to being beaten to within an inch of her life as Spider-Woman by her archenemy Jack O' Lantern, to losing her apartment and suffering a nervous breakdown, to being stalked and then nearly having her very identity destroyed, again by Jack O' Lantern.

Gwen knew that she'd been able to pull through on all those occasions with the help of her loved ones. Whether it was her Aunt Nancy Stacy, Peter Parker and his Uncle Ben, her mother Helen Lieber-Stacy, Randy or the rest of her close friends, they had always been there whenever she needed them.

It's funny, she realized, how I could have bad luck so often and still be one of the luckiest people in the world…

Gwen's sleep that night was the most restful it had been in a long time.

Louise Robertson was sincerely enjoying herself at the Robertson family gathering on Valentine's Day, but her son's absence stuck out to her like a sore thumb. A few of her relatives had asked her where Randy was, and she'd made excuses about Randy needing to work. She knew full well where Randy likely was, though, and she wasn't in the least bit pleased about it.

Louise had been able to keep up a pleasant face to her relatives, but her husband Isaiah had been having a much more difficult time doing it. The irritation he felt at Randy ditching the family reunion, no doubt to spend the day with that tramp Gwen, was plain for everyone to see. Fortunately, Isaiah had been able to explain his anger as being due to the Knicks' piss-poor performance this season. Isaiah wasn't lying when he said that, but it wasn't the only reason for his foul mood.

Dinner had just ended, and Louise had just refilled her drink when she happened to run into her mother-in-law Martha Robertson. Louise couldn't help but smile in spite of herself, admiring Martha's fire and the way she was always willing to speak her mind. To Louise's dismay, Martha seemed somewhat distracted, as if she was thinking over something in her mind.

"Is something wrong, Martha?" Louise asked in concern.

Martha suddenly looked up at Louise in response to her question. Louise was surprised to see Martha's eyes widen, as she frowned.

"I could ask you the same thing, Louise," Martha replied, the frown leaving her face.

"What do you mean?" Louise started, before she realized what Martha was getting at.

"You should know by now that I'm old, but I'm not blind," Martha huffed. "You and Isaiah have been like open books all night. You're upset because Randy isn't here, aren't you?"

Louise's flinching told Martha everything she needed to know.

"I specifically told him she couldn't come," Louise explained, anger creeping into her voice, "and he does this. He ditches his family for that little…" she trailed off, making sure to mind her manners in front of Martha.

"Little what?" Martha asked curiously. "I rather like her, myself."

"You…what?" Louise asked in surprise. "You like that girl?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Martha blinked in surprise. "She's well-mannered, she obviously cares about Randy, and she makes him really happy. What's not to like?"

"She's flaunting herself for money," Louise scowled, "she keeps secrets, and she likely wouldn't be an equal contributor if she and Randy began living together. He'd have to do more of the work to support her, if she wants to do something like acting."

In response, Martha shook her head and sighed.

"How often have you even tried to give her a chance?" she asked Louise.

"I tried to meet her for coffee once, and she completely blew me off," Louise explained, more than a little annoyed by the memory.

"Once? That's it?" Martha asked in surprise. "You know what that generation is like, the kinds of commitments they're expected to live up to!"

Louise's scowl showed that she clearly wasn't convinced.

"That doesn't excuse everything else," Louise replied, setting her drink down on the table and folding her arms sternly. "Especially not the way she shows herself off, or the way she keeps secrets-"

"I used to feel the same way, you know," Martha interrupted her.

"About Gwen?" Louise asked in surprise. "I'm surprised you changed your mind-"

"Not about Gwen," Martha shook her head. "About you."

Louise just stared in shock at Martha, as if she'd been slapped.

"What…what do you mean?" Louise asked, barely able to understand what she was hearing.

"I didn't like you at first when Isaiah started dating you," Martha explained. "I was annoyed by how judgemental you could be, and the way you could pry into other people's business. But then I got to know you, Louise. I saw how you cheered Isaiah up when he was having problems, how you'd move heaven and earth to help him if that's what it took. I got to see how you devoted yourself to providing a better life for your children, how you'd work two jobs to support them and still be there for all the important moments in their lives. That was when I realized how sound Isaiah's judgement had been."

Louise just stared back at Martha.

"What I'm wondering now, though, is why you won't trust Randy's judgement, after you did such a good job raising him," Martha continued. "He loves us-you know that. But he clearly loves Gwen too, so why won't you and Isaiah give her more of a chance?"

The expression on Louise's face had been one of hurt when Martha had started her explanation. That hurt faded, however, replaced by a contemplative look.

"…You're right, Martha," Louise realized. "Isaiah and I never really have been fair to Gwen…or to Randy, for that matter."

"And now I'm reminded of why I learned to like you," Martha chuckled.

Louise smiled back.

"You didn't think Firebrand would return, did you?" Moonstone asked Will O' the Wisp as they met in the Wisp's hidden lair to plan their strategy.

"Why would he?" Will O' the Wisp shrugged, as if it hardly mattered. "It's not like we would have expected long term loyalty from him. And if he's accomplished our goal, then so much the better."

"So then there's no more reason for me to be here," Moonstone frowned. She had joined Will O' the Wisp, Firebrand and some of Spider-Woman's other enemies in an alliance to torture and then kill the web-slinging heroine. The plan had been to have each of the villains attack Spider-Woman one after another, driving her to mental and physical exhaustion, before she was finally killed. Now, with Firebrand having escaped, and Scorpia and Polestar both back in prison, only Moonstone and Will O' the Wisp were left.

"Not necessarily," Will O' the Wisp said, raising an eyebrow. "After all, she might have survived, just badly hurt. We've both left her that way ourselves, haven't we?" he reminded Moonstone of their own previous victories over Spider-Woman.

"I suppose so," Moonstone nodded. "What do we do now, then? Wait until she resurfaces, and then attack her?"

"Actually, I had something a little more creative in mind," Will O' the Wisp smirked evilly. "You've alluded to the thought experiments you like to play, right?"

"Of course," Moonstone nodded again.

"Well then, why don't you arrange some sort of play along those lines?" Will O' the Wisp offered. "If Spider-Woman is still alive, she's most likely to be the hero you'd cross paths with."

In truth, Will O' the Wisp knew full well that Spider-Woman was still alive. That peculiar homing signal he had picked up on, a signal that somehow broadcast Spider-Woman's location, was still transmitting. Will O' the Wisp doubted that it would have done so if Spider-Woman was dead. He had no intention of letting Moonstone know that, of course, as it was an advantage he would have been foolish to give up.

"I suppose you're right," Moonstone smiled, as her eyes began to glow.

Will O' the Wisp was right when he said that Moonstone enjoyed thought experiments. As psychologist Dr. Karla Sofen, that had been her whole motivation for becoming a costumed villain. It was also the reason that she had agreed to join the Wisp's alliance, fascinated by the psychological interplay between the villains. She'd also been the only one of the Wisp's allies to notice how he had been hypnotically inciting them to go along with his suggested courses of action. The lenses in her helmet shielded her from such hypnotism, of course, but she had played along with it.

She had also learned how to replicate the Wisp's hypnotic glow in her own eyes, turning his hypnosis back on him.

"I'll need your help for such a scheme, of course," she smiled, her grin looking as inviting and trustworthy as a crocodile's. "The others were just the prelude-now we can truly make Spider-Woman suffer!"

That was the other part of the Wisp's hypnosis, saying things that acted as incentives for his victims. Even the dangerously unstable Firebrand was led to follow the Wisp's lead when his emotions were calmed by the Wisp's lights, and then the Wisp said the right things to keep him interested.

Now, Moonstone's mind was whirling with her own possibilities. She had never been impressed with the Wisp's petty grudges and determination not to prove himself a second-rate criminal, but his abilities were a useful complement to her own. In addition to hypnotizing people with his lights, the Wisp could shift into a ball of energy that could do everything from strike people like a meteor to merge with and control mechanical devices. She doubted the Wisp had ever fully realized the potential of that ability, but she intended to make good use of it.

"And I know how to best use our abilities," she continued, as the Wisp smiled eagerly. "Money…power…revenge…and not just against Spider-Woman, either! We can be so much more than we already are, and-"

Moonstone barely had time to dodge as Will O' the Wisp shifted into a ball of light and came charging at her. He clipped her arm and shoulder as she passed by, knocking her to the floor and sending her spinning before she finally regained her feet.

The Wisp materialized into his human form again, glaring at the stunned Moonstone.

"So that's all you see me as," Will O' the Wisp said calmly. "A pathetic second-rater who'll always fail to climb higher. What, you didn't think I'd expect that you'd be the member of our little band most likely to betray me? Or that I wouldn't anticipate that your helmet might shield your eyes, especially since you were the only one with eye covers that could do that? And did you really think I wouldn't recognize the frequency of my own hypnotic lights?"

"Even the best of us get a diagnosis wrong now and then," Moonstone smirked back. "Don't expect me to be impressed, though. All you care about is your petty revenge on Spider-Woman and everybody who you think's ever wronged you. Haven't you ever thought any more highly than that, especially with your power? You have all this potential, and you let it go to waste. That's what makes you a second-rater, Wisp, not any times that Spider-Woman might have beaten you."

Will O' the Wisp wanted to attack her, but he held himself in check. Moonstone's words had clearly gotten through to him in a way her hypnosis attempt had not, and he hesitated, pondering her words.

"And you don't want revenge on her?" Will O' the Wisp demanded suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Not even after she ruined your attempts to head the Tomorrow Legion?"

"Oh, I haven't forgiven her," Moonstone assured him. "But I've also learned to think about more than just what's in front of me. What are your long-term goals, Wisp? What do you want out of life besides just soothing your wounded ego? Try thinking about those things, and see where it takes you!"

The angry look on Will O' the Wisp's face was replaced with a thoughtful one, as he contemplated what she said.

Smiling to herself, Moonstone rose into the air and flew through the ceiling of the Wisp's lair, knowing that he had better things to think about than her right now.

It was all she could do not to laugh, realizing that she had managed to achieve her goals in a way that was both more fitting and more likely to succeed than hypnotizing the Wisp could ever be.

John Gamelin gave a sigh as he closed the door to his penthouse. It had been an exhausting two weeks for the Roxxon executive, overseeing the negotiations for the purchase of those Williams Innovations assets in Oregon, and he was exhausted. Now that the deal was signed and delivered, he was eager for some long overdue time off.

Goddamn Fisk, he thought to himself, referring to his boss Wilson Fisk, the president and chairman of Roxxon. I swear, that bastard thinks that he's Louis XIV, the way he orders us around. I mean, I know how to do my fucking job, and he doesn't need to tell me to give in on the stuff we don't even want in the first place!

Stomping his way towards the liquor cabinet, Gamelin was surprised to find it open. His surprise was replaced with annoyance when he found that the liquor bottles were out of order. He was very particular about how he organized his booze, first by type and then by brand and year of production. Now, somehow, everything was mixed up and out of order, with the whiskeys and rums placed alongside each other.

Son of a bitch, Gamelin muttered to himself. I bet it was Jack and those white trash friends of his. First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going straight to Eva's place and I'm going to personally take the key back from that little snot myself.

Thinking about his ex-wife and their good-for-nothing son made Gamelin's mood even worse, at least until he poured himself a good stiff scotch.

Finally, Gamelin marched into his den, where he planned to watch the Knicks game he'd set to tape earlier that evening on his TiVo device.

Gamelin's annoyance turned to outright anger when he saw that the game hadn't taped properly. Instead, he'd somehow managed to record some stupid home and garden show.

That can't be right, Gamelin thought to himself. I know for a fact that I set it to record the Knicks game, so what's the deal?

Cursing, Gamelin switched to Hulu and found a suitable movie to watch.

Even viewing Casablanca wasn't improving Gamelin's mood, as paused the film and got up for a fresh drink and a snack.

He was going to make some popcorn, but then he found that his microwave was unplugged.

How the hell did this happen? Gamelin wondered, too irritated to think about it anymore.

Shaking his head, he plugged the microwave back in and made his popcorn, before he went back into his den.

When the movie had ended and he left his den to take the popcorn bowl back to the kitchen, Gamelin found that he found that he'd left the kitchen light on, although he swore that he'd shut it off after he made his popcorn.

Rubbing his eyes, Gamelin realized just how much he needed a vacation.

Times were tough for many New Yorkers, but not Liz Allan. For all her stresses about doing well as a nursing student, and her sisterly concern for her friends' wellbeing, Liz was otherwise quite happy in her personal life. Unlike many other New Yorkers, she was also financially secure, living with her multimillionaire boyfriend, film student Harry Osborn.

Harry's fortune was what was left of the wealth he'd inherited from his depraved, abusive father Norman Osborn, revealed as the supervillain known as the Green Goblin. Osborn had built up a tremendous fortune from his ruthless business practices and his criminal exploits, but most of that was gone now, sold off by Harry to compensate Norman's victims after he'd been exposed by the amazing Spider-Man and crippled in his final battle with the male web-slinger. Harry had suffered as much as anyone at Norman's hands, and he had directed most of Norman's fortune to try and atone for the suffering the villain had caused.

All that was behind them now. Osborn's final battle with Spider-Man had ended with him impaled by his own goblin glider and hurled into a wall, severing his spine and causing him severe brain damage. Norman Osborn was now a mindless vegetable, the doctors knowing he would never recover. Even if he hadn't suffered a head injury, Osborn would have been a paraplegic, unable to walk after his spine had been destroyed by his glider.

Countless people, including Harry and Liz, considered it nothing less than Norman deserved.

Those thoughts were far from Liz's mind as she emerged from her apartment and started down the hall. Her thoughts were focused more on today's class schedule, as well as whether she and Harry would be able to make it to the latest game night Gwen had arranged.

Those were really good ideas, Liz thought to herself. Maybe this is something I could ask about as a de-stressing activity for nurses-after all, isn't burnout one of the biggest problems nurses face?

Despite her reverie, Liz had enough wits to stop herself from colliding with the brunette turning the corner of the hallway.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" the brunette woman asked in alarm, her eyes flying to her mouth in surprise.

"Y…yes, I'm fine," Liz replied, startled by the near collision. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I am," the brunette nodded. "I'm still trying to get used to the layout of this place."

"Layout?" Liz asked in surprise. "You're a new tenant?"

"My boyfriend and I just moved into D-17," the brunette woman nodded. "How about you?"

"We live in B-19," Liz smiled. "I live with my boyfriend too-my name's Liz."

"Nice to meet you," the brunette woman replied, shaking Liz's hand. "My name's Laura."

"You'll love it here, I'm sure," Liz replied. "Everybody's really nice, and the building management actually know what the hell they're doing."

"That's good to hear," Laura sighed. "We've had some pretty bad experiences…"

Liz was about to ask what those were, but she saw that Laura clearly didn't want to talk about them.

"Well, I'm glad you're doing better," Liz smiled reassuringly. "I've got to go, but I'll see you around soon, alright?"

Laura just smiled back, as she and Liz parted and continued on their way.

"So how'd it go?" Donny Callahan asked Laura as she came into their apartment.

"Well, she sure didn't recognize me," Laura Fortune replied as she sat down across the table from him. "I'd be surprised if Osborn even told her about Big Mike."

"Fuck, I'd be surprised if old man Osborn even met her," Donny rolled his eyes. "And I doubt his son would have told her about Big Mike either. Doesn't matter, though."

"We have to deal with her too?" Laura nodded.

"The hell do you think?" Donny asked. "If we really want to hurt Osborn junior, then we make him suffer first. Why the hell do you think we're not just going to shoot him?"

"I thought it was because we don't know who he might have hired to protect him," Laura pointed out.

"That too," Donny agreed, "but it's hardly the only reason. We have to be ready for whatever happens. You seriously aren't going soft on me, are you?"

"Hell no!" Laura protested vigorously. "I'm just trying to get a better idea of who might end up getting in our way."

"That's my girl," Donny smirked. "So, is everything all ready on your end?"

"Yeah, I talked to one of them today," Laura nodded. "It'll be a couple of weeks before everything is ready, though."

"We can wait," Donny shrugged. "And besides, things are going to take a while before I'm ready too."

Donny and Laura had been waiting for their opportunity for a long time, but they were patient.

They could afford to wait a little longer.

Gwen was in a pleasant mood as she walked into the coffee shop, glancing up at the menu as she waited in line. She had spent most of the day catching up on her schoolwork, and she was now eager for a break.

She was ready for pleasure, but there was an element of business as she ordered her favorite brand of latte and sat down to wait. It had been over two months since she had offered to meet Jonathan Caesar for coffee, and she was eager to catch up with him. He'd been a useful contact for her over the last year or so, hiring her for a waitressing job at a retro club he was an investor in, and then recruiting her for some independent films he sponsored. Gwen knew the importance of networking, and while she didn't have a whole lot of contacts yet she was determined to keep up the ones she had.

It wasn't long before Jonathan Caesar had come in and placed his order. As he came to join her, holding a cup of the straight black coffee he preferred, Gwen immediately stood up to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Caesar!" she said brightly. "It's so good to see you again!" she smiled as they sat down.

"I just wish we could have done it sooner," Caesar smiled back at Gwen, "but things have been crazy for weeks now."

"Don't worry about it," Gwen assured him. "They've been crazy for me at school, too."

"You sure don't look it, though," Caesar noted.

"It has, trust me," Gwen sighed. "I'm all right, though. How about you? How are you holding up?"

"Hey, I'm good," Caesar assured her with a smile. "There's just too much to do this time of year. Are you sure you're doing all right, though?"

"Yeah," Gwen blinked in surprise.

"How much work are you doing right now?" Caesar asked. "Do you have anything planned?"

"No, I don't," Gwen shook her head. "I was taking on way too many things before now, and it wasn't helping my grades. I've just been focusing on school ever since I wrapped filming with Erg," she continued, referring to the mutant director whose film she had co-starred in last month.

"You were terrific in it," Caesar grinned. "The reviews at Sundance were fantastic-Zane's phone has been ringing off the hook. You should really try and run with that while you can."

"You mean try and find some more work?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"Of course I do," Caesar half-frowned. "You haven't been following the reviews?"

The embarrassed look on Gwen's face told Caesar everything he needed to know.

"…Like I said, things have been pretty crazy for me," she said, a strain clearly evident in her voice.

Good job, Caesar reproached himself. She probably feels bad enough about it already!

"You've got to take care of yourself first," Caesar assured her. "Besides, you've got a lot of time yet," he continued, as Gwen brightened.

"And you really helped me get off to a good start," Gwen said warmly. "I really appreciate it, Mr. Caesar-you don't know how much it means to me…"

"Hey, I'm glad I could help," Caesar smiled back at her.

Gwen was about to reply, when she suddenly felt her spider-senses activate. One of her abilities as Spider-Woman was to mark other people with special pheromones that she could then track with her spider-senses. Her spider-senses usually only activated when Gwen wanted them to, but on rarer occasions they activated when someone she'd marked them with was in some sort of dangerous situation she would have been interested in.

Gwen suddenly stood up, looking around in alarm as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Everything seemed normal, from the conversations of the other patrons to the lights shining above them to the traffic passing by outside.

"What's wrong?" Caesar asked in alarm.

"N…nothing," Gwen said as she sat down again, trying to regain her composure. "I just thought I remembered an important appointment, that's all."

Caesar wasn't sure if he believed that, but Gwen clearly didn't want to discuss it.

They resumed their conversation, but Caesar clearly noted the worry on Gwen's face.

Walking back from their meeting nearly an hour later, Caesar thought over his meeting with Gwen.

I thought she was doing better, but now I'm not so sure, Caesar realized. Poor kid-she always seems like she's got the weight of the world on her shoulders.

I wish I could help her more, though, Caesar continued. She's got even more potential than she realizes. That vibrant youth matches her eyes…

Caesar suddenly realized where he was going.

Come off it, you old goat, Caesar reproached himself with a smile as he shook his head. Even if you weren't too old for her, she deserves better…

…and the last thing she would need is to get caught up in your world, Caesar thought with a sigh.

It is a dirty business, after all…

Gwen had managed to keep up a brave front through the rest of her meeting with Caesar, but she was left wondering what could have possibly activated her spider-senses. They'd stopped working after a few seconds, and she couldn't focus on their source.

She wondered briefly if one of her old enemies was manipulating them the same way that Jack O' Lantern once did.

Somehow I doubt it, Gwen thought to herself. Who else besides Jack O' Lantern would even know about them?

It was probably just one of my friends I marked them with, who solved the thing on her own, Gwen realized, as she continued her walk.

Returning from work the next evening, John Gamelin was surprised to find the Knicks game he'd previously set to tape was now waiting to be watched.

What the hell? Gamelin thought in astonishment. I could have sworn that the machine didn't tape!

Shaking his head, but pleased at his good fortune, Gamelin walked towards his kitchen, before he suddenly stumbled and fell flat on his face.

"Jesus Christ," Gamelin swore as he rose to his hands and knees. "What just happened…?"

To his dismay, he found that he'd forgotten to put away the extension cord he'd been using yesterday while installing his new shelves.

I thought I put this stupid thing away, Gamelin thought as he gathered up the cord. I know I put this cord away!

…Didn't I? Gamelin suddenly wondered dubiously.

Walking through the Students' Union Building at Empire State University, Gwen went through her notes once again, checking to make sure she had everything organized. Midterm exams were coming up at the end of February, and Gwen was determined to be ready.

Thank God for study groups, Gwen thought to herself as she entered one of the elevators. I was just lucky they agreed to let me join them, she continued, as the elevator closed and began to rise.

I hope I have everything straight for this class, Gwen continued as the elevator began rising up to the floor where her study group was meeting. Comparing Aristophanes' approach to Lysistrata with Aphra Behn's-

Gwen and the other people in the elevator were suddenly jolted off their feet as the elevator screeched to a halt.

Confused murmurs rose up as they realized what was going on. The young man standing next to Gwen immediately reached for the emergency phone, and spoke into it, growing increasingly flustered as he did so.

All of a sudden, Gwen felt her spider-senses flaring once again.

"What did they say?" one of the other women in the elevator asked the young man.

"They don't know what's wrong," the man replied. "They say they're trying to fix it, but they're not sure how long it'll take."

'How long' turned out to be more than two and a half hours, causing Gwen to miss her study session altogether.

The old Stacy luck never lets up, does it? Gwen thought in frustration as she finally emerged from the elevator. At least they were willing to reschedule for me…

Glancing around, Gwen saw that many other students were frustrated and angry. From what she could hear, the Student Union Building's entire elevator system had become stuck.

Like them, Gwen had reason to be frustrated about that.

What worried her more, however, was the fact that her spider-senses had started again, but that now she felt nothing, and couldn't tell what had triggered them.

Two days later…

Okay, which type of detergent did Aunt Nancy say she wanted? Gwen wondered, glancing through the different brands available at the grocery store. I know it was Tide, but did she want the scented kind, or the delicate one? Or did she want both?

Gwen was suddenly startled as her spider-senses flared up again.

Glancing around in alarm, she heard cries of dismay and ran quickly to see what was going on.

When she arrived at the bakery department, Gwen saw the cooks talking excitedly to one another, as all their ovens had burned out.

Blinking in surprise, Gwen returned to her grocery cart, wondering what was going on.

She tried to focus on her spider-senses yet again, but there was no response.

Three days later…

It had been quite a while since Gwen had been able to get together with Randy and her other friends at a club, but in between work and studying they hadn't had nearly as much time together as they would have liked.

Gwen was having a wonderful time, at least until her spider-senses triggered once again.

Randy was going to ask about her startled reaction, at least until the club's stereo system shorted out and exploded, causing the building to catch fire.

Several hours later…

Gwen was sorely shaken as she took the subway home, accompanied by her cousin Jill Stacy and her friend Kitty Pryde. It had been a long evening, with several of the rest of their group being treated for their injuries at the hospital. Now, finally, Kitty and the Stacys were headed home, their friends needing to remain overnight along with many of the other people who'd been injured in the fire.

That was one of the things that worried Gwen, but she was also puzzled over what was happening with her spider-senses.

What's the matter with me? Gwen wondered. Something's setting off my spider-senses, and then some sort of disaster happens. Does somebody keep getting into problems that they solve?

That sounded ridiculous on its own, but Gwen wasn't sure what the problem could be otherwise.

Or am I causing this somehow? Gwen wondered. Could I be the one causing my own spider-senses to go off somehow?

That uncomfortable thought left Gwen caught even more off guard as her spider-senses activated yet again. Looking around in alarm, she was startled by the screams of the other passengers as the subway veered off its tracks and plowed into the station.

The passengers' screams intermingled with the screeches and crashes of the subway as it tore through the subway station, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

(Next Issue: Gwen survives the subway crash, but she finds that her problems are just beginning as the catastrophes around her continue. As she tries desperately to figure out what's going on, she finds herself fighting for her life as Spider-Woman when Will O' the Wisp puts the final part of his revenge plans into action! Meanwhile, the mysterious Donny Callahan and Laura Fortune continue with their own plans for revenge against Harry Osborn! All this and more in Spider-Woman #91: Somebody's Watching Me!)