Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 21: A Match Made In Hell

The rain continued to pour down relentlessly, punctuated by the odd flash of lightning or rumble of thunder. The streets were entirely deserted, as the people of New York sought shelter from the violent storm. Nothing was happening and no one was going anywhere, as New York City ground to a halt.

That suited Gwen Stacy just fine, weary as she was from the demands of attempting to juggle a career as a superhero with her money problems, her grades, her acting career, her responsibilities to her mother, and her evening job at the Empire State Coffee Shop. Today was a day that called for a plain T-shirt, blue jeans and her favorite pair of red Converse high-tops, combined with Taylor Swift and the latest Twilight novel.

It was nice to be able, for the first time in several weeks, to really be able to lay back and relax...

...at least until Gwen was roused from her pleasant trance by the laughter coming from Kitty's bedroom.

Rolling her eyes with a half-smirk, Gwen went back to her reading.

She'd never understand just what it was Kitty found so funny about those stupid reality shows.

SPIDER-WOMAN #21

"A MATCH MADE IN HELL"

His eyes narrowing in frustration, Ronald Hilliard checked his inbox for what was probably the sixth time that day.

Nothing.

Ronald just couldn't understand it. He had set this online shrine to Spider-Woman up more than a week ago, and yet she had never bothered to take the time to thank him for it. All this effort, and not one visit, not one e-mail, not one phone call, not even a damn card!

He sighed in frustration, leaning back in his chair as he listened to Eric Clapton's classic song Layla on his MP3 player:

Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind

Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane.
Please don't say we'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain.

Seething in frustration, Ronald stewed in his chair for several minutes as he thought the matter over. There had to be some way to get Spider-Woman to notice him...

As he continued pondering, the music eventually switched to Sting and the Police's Every Breath You Take:

Oh can't you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take
Every move you make and every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake, I'll be watching you...

Then it hit him. Grinning happily, he sat up and started typing away at his computer, knowing how he could get Spider-Woman's attention.

When he met her, she'd just have to notice him...

Gwen sat at the Empire State Coffee House after work a few days later, flipping through the Daily Bugle while she waited for Randy Robertson to arrive so they could discuss opening night for A Streetcar Named Desire, which was set for tomorrow. Already she'd gotten a dose of bad news, reading that Polestar had managed to escape from the Raft along with a few other supervillains. If past experience as a superheroine had taught her anything, she'd almost certainly end up running into Polestar again sooner or later.

She couldn't help but mentally recount them all: Blizzard, the Brothers Grimm, Firebrand, Will O' the Wisp, Tarot, Moonstone, the Constrictor, Boomerang, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and Jack O' Lantern. Aside possibly from Blizzard, Gwen had no doubt that any of them would be happy to have her head decorating the wall above their fireplace.