Months had gone by, and Emma could no longer keep ignoring Logan's calls, which had become persistent over the past few weeks. She was at Peter's apartment, and the phone kept ringing.
"Are you going to answer that?" Peter asked.
"I don't think it's that important," she replied.
"He's been trying for a while now," he pointed out. "Answer it. I'll be in the bedroom."
She sighed and watched Peter leave the room. The phone rang again, and with no more excuses left, she picked up.
"Hello?"
"Damn it, Emma, what's going on with you?"
"Hello to you too, Logan," she replied sarcastically. "What's wrong?"
"We need your help," he admitted. "You need to talk to Hope. His death really hit her hard."
"And what do you want me to say? His death affected me too..."
"As it did all of us. But Hope's stopped attending classes and she's been fighting with that brat Rachel," he growled. "She's becoming a headache."
"Why don't you do it yourself?" she asked.
"Ugh... because I don't have the tact for that. Talking about this stuff is hard for me."
"And you think it's easy for me?"
"Your relationship with him was different than mine," he said. "You two were just getting to know each other... I considered him a brother."
"Alright," she sighed, defeated. "I'll call her."
"Thank you."
"Is that all?" she asked.
"No... I wanted to ask about that guy you mentioned. The one who looked like Peter."
"What about him?"
"What happened in the end?"
"I lost his trail. Just another mercenary among many," she lied.
"You still there?" Emma asked.
"Yeah. We just got an alert from Captain America," he admitted. "He needs our help with Black Cat."
"Black Cat..." she whispered. "I suppose that means the call ends here."
"Exactly. Don't forget to call Hope." And he hung up.
She leaned back on the couch and heard footsteps. She smiled as she saw Peter standing in front of her.
"Something tells me that call didn't go well," he said, sitting beside her. "What happened?"
"Hope..."
"Is she alright?" he asked.
She smiled, noticing how he still cared about others.
"Your death hit her hard," she whispered. "Logan said she stopped going to class and has been fighting with Rachel," she explained. "He wants me to call her and talk a bit."
He lowered his head, and she placed her hand on his thigh.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I am... it's just..." he sighed. "Hope shouldn't be acting like this." He looked at her.
"She believes you're dead, like everyone else," she replied. "You were her favorite hero, her idol... and most importantly, her teacher. You can't blame her for acting like this."
"And I don't blame her," he whispered. "But it's been two months... she should be moving on."
"It's not that easy."
"Believe me, I know," he stood up. "I'm heading out. Stay as long as you like."
"Alright..." she sighed. "Do you want me to tell her? That you're alive?"
Peter turned his back and looked over his shoulder at her.
"No... don't say anything. It's better this way."
.........
New York
Captain America was welcomed by the X-Men. He was led to the Professor's office, where he waited for the others to arrive.
"I'm sorry for young Parker's loss," said the Professor.
"I am too..." the Captain whispered. "But all we can do now is move forward... and honor his legacy." He looked at him.
There was a soft knock on the door. It opened, and slowly the X-Men began to enter.
"Alright, we're all here," declared the Professor. "The Captain came to ask for our help with Black Cat."
"From what I know, she's just a thief," Elizabeth Braddock commented.
"Miss Braddock, don't judge a book by its cover," the Captain replied. "She may be a thief, but she's clever, trained in multiple fields... she's dangerous."
"Why do you need our help?" Scott asked. "Last I checked, you're an Avenger."
"Not anymore. I resigned," he revealed. "I'm a vigilante now."
"Hence the new uniform, huh?" Kitty remarked.
"Exactly."
"It's because of Spider-Man's death, isn't it?" Storm asked.
"Yes. We failed him as a team. I failed him," he lowered his head. "And it took his death for me to see it," he sighed. "The Avengers aren't heroes... they're celebrities. It's time I start acting like a real hero."
"Who would've thought..." Braddock muttered. "That fool's death didn't just affect Hope, but also America's greatest hero," she said mockingly.
The Captain frowned, and Logan growled.
"Show some respect for Spider-Man. He wasn't a fool," he said coldly.
"We're getting off topic," the Professor intervened.
"Right, sorry," the Captain cleared his throat. "The reason for my visit: last night, during patrol, I stopped a group of thieves. They had this tattooed on their necks." He showed a photo.
"A cat," Beast pointed out.
"It's Black Cat's symbol," the Captain replied.
"At least she doesn't make the guys dress like cats," Jean added.
"I know you don't usually deal with things outside the mutant world, but if you ever come across this symbol during a mission, please let me know." He stood up.
"Understood. We'll inform you if we see anything," the Professor replied.
"Thank you, Professor. And thank you all as well," the Captain said.
"Grr... Captain, why are you tracking her down?" Logan asked.
"She's becoming the new queen of crime. Took over everything Fisk once controlled," he explained. "And now she's taken control of Hell's Kitchen."
"That's impossible," Logan replied. "That place is patrolled by Daredevil. Sometimes even his little crew. What happened?"
"I don't know. I tried reaching out to him, but he didn't respond."
...........
Daredevil was slowly regaining consciousness, feeling something tied around his neck. The last thing he remembered was a fight with Black Cat. He mentally scolded himself for kissing her... and cursed Spider-Man a bit for introducing them.
"Finally woke up, hornhead..."
He frowned at the sound of that voice.
"You damn cat..." he growled.
"That's no way to talk to a lady," she replied sarcastically.
"You think just because Spider-Man's not around anymore, no one's going to stop you, is that it?!" he shouted, angry.
"Relax, hornhead... sounds like you didn't get any action this week," she mocked. "Listen, this will be quick. I need the documents."
"Documents? What are you talking about?"
"Everything related to Fisk," she replied. "Properties, bank accounts, everything... I want it all."
"Cat... you already took over his whole criminal empire. What more do you want?" he replied coldly. "And no, I have no idea where those papers are."
"You think I'm stupid?" she growled. "I know you have them, you're the one who put him behind bars."
"That wasn't me. That was my brother."
(*There's a comic where he mentions having a twin brother, I think his name was Mike Murdock in Daredevil #607)
"You're an idiot," she replied. "No wonder you were friends with Spidey."
"I'm surprised you can even say his name that easily. Didn't it hurt?" he asked. "Losing him... forever?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"It's true... I forgot he was never yours."
............
Captain America was in Hell's Kitchen, standing right in front of the Nelson & Murdock law office.
"Captain? What are you doing here?" Matt asked.
"I was looking for you," he replied. "We need to talk. Where have you been?"
"Had a run-in with a certain feline..."
"Black Cat's taking over things that don't belong to her, I know..." he sighed. "I assume you already know."
"Yeah. Everything I worked for to get Fisk out of Hell's Kitchen and behind bars... and now some bitch shows up and tears it all down," he said, frustrated.
"Language..." Matt replied.
"I fought her. I withdrew... Captain, she's not trying to become the queen of crime," he corrected. "She already is."
"She's after Fisk's paperwork..."