In Gwen's house, she stepped out of the bathroom after her shower, only to find her mom looking at her with a somewhat displeased expression.
Gwen smiled and hugged her, "Mom, don't worry. I was just participating in some school activities. You know my role at school."
Her mom, looking at her with mild exasperation, replied, "Oh, I'm not worried about you. I'm just concerned about your dad coming back, noticing you're out so late, and then getting all worked up. Next thing you know, he'll be driving the patrol car around, checking at all your male classmates' houses."
Both of them burst into laughter at the thought.
"But he's not back yet, right?"
Seeing her daughter's playful grin, Gwen's mom sighed. "You probably haven't heard about this at school, but today, a NASA spaceship almost crashed into the central bridge. Your dad went to the site to manage the evacuation."
She added, "I have no idea how things are going over there now. Go on to bed; I'll wait here for your father's call."
"Dad will be fine," Gwen reassured her. "There are plenty of superheroes around, too."
Gwen took her mom's arm, guiding her to the living room. "I'll wait with you."
The two sat by the phone, Gwen's mom glancing at it occasionally. This was a habit she'd formed ever since marrying George: whenever he went out on a mission, he'd call to let her know he was okay, and then check in again once it was over. Over time, it had become a comforting routine.
Watching her mom, Gwen was reminded of how it had always been this way. As a child, she didn't fully understand, but now she appreciated her mother's silent vigil for her father.
Sure enough, after a while, the phone rang, right on time.
Gwen's mom picked it up swiftly, keeping her voice steady, "Hello?"
On the other end, George's familiar voice reassured her, saying he'd be home soon. "Want me to make you a snack when you get back?" she offered.
George chuckled, "Sure, the usual."
"Alright, I'll be here waiting," she said softly.
After the call, filled with warmth and reassurance, Gwen's mom turned to her. "Alright, off to bed with you," she said with a smile. "I won't mention what time you got back to your father."
Gwen grinned, giving her mom a big kiss on the cheek. "Perfect, Mom. Goodnight!"
As she entered her room and leaned back against the door, Gwen sighed with relief. "That was close."
She'd almost been caught in her Spider suit when she returned. Thankfully, she'd managed to slip by without too much suspicion.
Looking over at her suit, she noticed it was dusty, with a layer of gray film on it. "Black does get dirty easily… Next time, I'll ask Alan to make a white suit."
Picking up her suit, she inspected it more closely. "Hmm? What's this?"
Near the ankle, there seemed to be something sticky clinging to the fabric. Curious, she poked at it, then immediately made a face of disgust. "Ugh, gross. It's all sticky… probably picked it up in the forest. I'll wash it tomorrow."
Washing it now would raise too many questions.
Gwen folded the suit and tossed it into her laundry basket. "I'll just wash it at Alan's tomorrow."
With that, she lay down on her bed. The intense activities in the forest had drained her, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, sleep enveloped her.
After Gwen fell asleep, however, the black substance in the laundry basket began to move, crawling out like a large spider. Slowly, it crept toward Gwen.
It reached her bed, spreading like a dark liquid, and began to cover her entire body.
One end of the black substance remained firmly stuck to Gwen's Spider suit. As she slept, a fine layer of sweat began to appear on her forehead—she was having a nightmare.
In her dream, she was in her Spider suit, fighting a dark shadow. What was strange was that every move she used, the shadow copied perfectly. Each time, she was defeated. Then, the shadow's terrifying form grew larger, stretching out to engulf her entirely. Gwen felt an overwhelming surge of dark emotions surround her: hatred, anger, defiance…
Suddenly, Gwen jolted awake, shouting, "No…"
Sunlight streamed through her window, illuminating her face and bringing her back to reality. "It was just a nightmare…" She glanced at the time and sighed with relief, then got up to start her morning routine.
But as she moved, she noticed something odd. "Wait… wasn't it at the end of my bed last night?"
Her laundry bucket was now in front of her, even though she distinctly remembered leaving it elsewhere. Gwen narrowed her eyes and looked inside at her Spider suit.
When she picked it up, her eyes widened in surprise—the red-and-black suit had turned completely black. "Was it that dirty last night…?"
She stared at the now all-black Spider suit, confused but not thinking much of it. She tossed it back in the bucket, deciding she'd definitely wash it when she got to Alan's place later.
Gwen went downstairs to brush her teeth. Downstairs, her dad George was already seated at the breakfast table, engrossed in the morning paper. He looked so pleased reading it that he didn't even notice Gwen come down.
Curious, Gwen asked, "Dad, what are you reading?"
George gestured to the paper, grinning. "Gwen, come take a look."
From the kitchen, her mom chimed in, "He wants you to see that Spider-Woman's made the front page again. I don't know what's changed, but he's actually fond of Spider-Woman now."
George frowned, defending himself. "Hey, I've never hated Spider-Woman. I just can't stand people who use 'justice' as an excuse to cause chaos."
"And Spider-Woman?" Gwen's mom asked.
"Spider-Woman is true justice!" George replied proudly.
Gwen held back a laugh, a wave of pride swelling in her. "I'll go brush my teeth first," she said, beaming.
Just as Gwen left, George pointed at the photo of Spider-Woman on the front page, muttering, "What's with this paper? They made Spider-Woman look awful in this picture."
Without looking up, Gwen's mom replied, "Isn't that from the Daily Bugle? You subscribed to it, remember?"
George glanced at the logo in the corner and saw that it was indeed from the Daily Bugle. "I need to talk to their editor about this photo sometime," he muttered, setting the paper aside to start eating.
After a while, Gwen joined them at the table. They had just started breakfast when George's phone rang.
"Oh? Peter's already here?" George said into the phone. "Alright, I'll be right there."
His mention of Peter caught Gwen's attention. "Peter went to the police station?"
George nodded. "Yeah, there's a case he's helping with. Though, I heard he's planning to move out of New York soon."
"Really?" Gwen asked, surprised. "Why's he moving?"
George shrugged. "I only know about the case; his personal life is his business."
Gwen thought for a moment, deciding she'd go with her dad to see Peter herself. "Okay, I'll just go upstairs and change."
Back in her room, Gwen initially intended to put her Spider suit into her bag. But on an impulse, she ended up putting it on instead. The suit was now entirely black, with only the white spider emblem on her chest.
"This color… actually doesn't look bad," Gwen said, admiring herself in the mirror with a hint of pride. Then she threw on other clothes over the black suit to cover it up.
…
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