Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 104: Riches To Rags

Gwen Stacy was proud of the good she'd done fighting crime as the spectacular Spider-Woman. She was proud of her fighting skill, her courage, and her spider-powers. She was proud that she'd been able to help so many people, and bring so many supervillains to justice.

Gwen was proud of all those things, but she also loved how warm, safe and protected she felt in the arms of her boyfriend Randy Robertson. Her recent encounter with the monstrous Tendril, whose plans for her had been too horrible to think about, left her badly shaken. When she asked Randy if he could hold her, he was more than happy to do it.

Randy was happy to comfort Gwen, but his feelings about her being a superhero were more mixed. He was proud of the good Gwen did too, but he hated the impact it had on her mental health. She was often upset by the horrible things her enemies did, and they left her an emotional wreck more than once.

As Randy stroked Gwen's long, vibrant blonde hair, he considered encouraging her to hang up her costume and quit being a superhero. The thought had crossed his mind more than once, but he could never bring himself to do it. He knew Gwen would never agree, not with how important it was to her. Her experiences growing up made her determined to do something to protect people who couldn't defend themselves, especially since she had the power to do so.

And Randy had to admit he'd probably feel like a hypocrite if he told her to quit. He realized that if he was the one who'd somehow gotten superpowers, he'd probably be doing the exact same thing Gwen did and she'd be the one comforting him.

All Randy could do was hug Gwen more tightly as she shuddered involuntarily, a memory from her fight with Tendril coming back unbidden.

SPIDER-WOMAN #104

RICHES TO RAGS

Ben Reilly looked at the despondent expressions his parents Karen and Andrew Reilly bore as they sat down in their new apartment. They were exhausted from the effort of moving out of the upscale house they'd built, and if they were only physically tired Ben wouldn't have been worried. Karen was deeply stressed, but Andrew looked like he'd almost lost any desire to continue living.

For the last several weeks, the Reilly family's wealth had systematically disappeared from all their accounts. Neither the police nor the banks could find any record of what happened to it, much less retrieve it.

Now, all of Andrew's hard work and sacrifice seemed to be for nothing as he gave up everything that he'd accumulated with it. He had to sell the family's upscale house when they could no longer afford the property taxes. He had to sell possessions like his coin collection, his Cartier watch and his Porsche to pay for a half-decent apartment and groceries. He couldn't bring himself to look his wife or his son in the eye because he felt that he'd failed them.

Ben didn't know what the Reillys were going to do. He thought they might ask their relatives for help, but Andrew and Karen both abhorred the idea of going to them cap in hand. They likely wouldn't be able to afford to continue sending Ben to medical school either, which meant that Ben would either have to drop out or take on large student loans.

Ben wanted to reassure his parents, to tell them that they would get through this, that even with all their problems they still had each other.

When he saw the despair they suffered, Ben honestly had to wonder if they'd listen to him.

Entry #2:

I've acquired enough money from the Reillys to pay for everything I think I need. The Fixer truly is a genius-his embezzling programs were just as untraceable as he promised. Everything was deposited into my own offshore accounts, safe and sound.

I only wish I could see the look on that smug bastard Andrew's face. Always strutting around like his shit didn't stink, acting like he was better than the rest of us. The pain and humiliation Andrew probably feels right now would make this all worth it by itself.