Man, it is a great time to be a Spidey fan, am I right? We got a kickass video game, three great movies and the comics are the best they've ever been (Though I've only been reading Amazing, Miles and Life Story. I do want to check out Friendly Neighborhood since I heard a lot of good things about it).

Anyway, after all the insanity that happened in the last few chapters, Karen decides that she and her boyfriend should take a break from it all. This chapter is going to tie up some loose ends as well as set up for the next arc.

Chapter 27

Manhattan, NY

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

A black and purple van is flying through the streets of Manhattan. The person who had spoken just now, and riding shotgun, was Fred Myers, also known as Boomerang. Overdrive is the one driving the vehicle, and the remaining two, who are riding in the back, are Herman Schultz, the Shocker, and Janice Lincoln, the Beetle.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Overdrive answers as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Maybe if SOMEONE had checked to see if we made sure we got ALL of the alarms shut off before breaking in, none of this would have happened," says Beetle.

"Hey we got what we came for from that STAR Labs warehouse didn't we?" Boomerang rhetorically asks. "All we got to do now is shake HIM off and we'll be free."

Suddenly there was a huge thump on the roof of the van. Overdrive glances over to his window and sees Spider-Man clinging to the side.

"Alright kids, the joyride is over. Pull over now, or I'm calling your parents."

"Shit," Boomerang says upon seeing the wall crawler.

Spider-Man breaks through the window and pulls Overdrive out of the van. He then wraps him up, from the shoulders down, in a web cocoon, fires one more web line in a nearby lamp post, attaches it to Overdrive and having the web line yank him away. The criminal is now seen hanging from the web post. With the driver out of the commission the van is now careening out of control. Boomerang tries to take the wheel in sheer panic, but the vehicle begins to make a hard right is about to flip itself over. Spider-Man notices this and moves to the top of the van. As soon as it is hurled into the air and turned upside down, the spider hero detaches himself from on top of the van at the right moment and lands right into the street below. He then lifts his arms up, braces himself and proceeds to catch the tumbling van. After struggling for a little bit, he was able to lift the vehicle in succession and set it down in the correct position. Spider-Man looks at the job well done in front of him, as onlookers begin to applaud him for his astounding feat.

"Man," he pants. "This newfound spider-strength is starting to work wonders. Normally I would have been flattened lifting something that heavy."

Spider-Man's moment to rest was unfortunately cut short, as an unknown force zooms past him and punches him in the face so hard that he falls to the ground. The spider hero gets back up, only to be knocked down again. It was at this moment he finally realizes who that was. The fifth member of this poor-man's Sinister Six, James Sanders, aka Speed Demon. Spider-Man knew this would be a tough fight, as the criminal can move so fast his spider sense wouldn't be able to react to him in time. However…

"Peej," the wall crawler begins to say. "I could use a little help here."

Speed Demon begins to charge at Spider-Man once more, but before he could reach him, Power Girl intercepts him at the last millisecond with a shoulder tackle, sending the speedy supervillain vaulting over a nearby black Toyota Camry and landing on the ground unconscious. The blonde approaches the spider hero and offers him her hand.

"Better late than never I suppose," Spider-Man says as he takes Power Girl's hand and gets up.

"I'm here now, am I not?" Power Girl asks with a smile. "Besides, you had everything under control."

The rest of the group emerge from the van and confront the two heroes.

"Power Girl, fancy meeting you here," Boomerang says with a wide grin.

Power Girl rolls her eyes. She didn't need X-ray vision to know that he isn't even looking at her face. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to run into you today Fred. Still causing trouble I see?"

"What can I say? I'm a VERY naughty boy. Looks like you're gonna have to punish me."

"Oh my God, seriously?" Beetle cuts in. "We don't have time for this. Shocker, you and Boomerang take down the Spider. Power Girl is mine."

"Don't tell me your still sour about the last time we fought," says Power Girl. (A/N)

"You got lucky last time," Beetle says as the two take off and duke it out in the skies.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is having a stare-down with Boomerang and Shocker.

"Two against one huh?" the wall crawler comments. "That seems a little unfair."

With a boomerang in hand, Boomerang says, "We're criminals web-head. We don't believe in a fair fight. Also, it makes killing you much easier."

"And you might be able to succeed if you had actually found a sixth member. Seriously, why call yourselves the Sinister Six if there's only five of you bozos?"

"S…Shut up." Boomerang throws his weapon at Spider-Man while Shocker fires a blast from his gauntlets.

Up in the air, Power Girl and Beetle continue to have their bout.

"I don't know how you managed to escape police custody last time, but I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen again," Power Girl says as she dodges Beetle's lasers.

"You sure about that?" asks Beetle. "How are you gonna do that when you're too busy saving stupid teenagers?"

The Kryptonian is confused by this question.

However, when Beetle fires another laser, it misses Power Girl and hits a nearby gargoyle statue. A large chunk of the gargoyle falls off of the roof and is about to land on an unsuspecting Norah Winters (who is filming the entire fight on her phone) down below.

"Dammit," Power Girl says as she flies toward Norah and was able to snatch her up before the stone statue fell on top of her. The Kryptonian sets the younger blonde down on a rooftop. "What are you doing here Norah?" Power Girl asks.

"A big superhero battle occurring right in front of my eyes? Do you really think I'm gonna pass this up?" Norah answers.

Power Girl just sighs and begins searching for Beetle. Sure enough, she was already gone. "Fantastic," the heroine mutters. She looks back at Norah. "You stay right here, and don't come down until all of this over. Got it?"

The young reporter nods.

Power Girl then leaves so she could aid Spider-Man.

"While you guys are busy trying to kill me, I gotta ask," Spider-Man says as he dodges Boomerang and Shocker's attacks. "Why go through all the trouble to steal something from STAR Labs?"

"Do you have any idea how huge something like THAT would sell in the black market?" answers Boomerang. "I'd be filthy stinkin rich."

"You thieves and your obsession with money," Spider-Man quips. "I think it's time I put an end to the latest of one of your many "get rich quick" schemes."

The spider hero quickly fires a web at Boomerang's face, incapacitating him at the moment, then he dodges another blast from Shocker by leaping into the air. He vaults over the criminal and tosses a small, spider shaped device on both of his gauntlets. Shocker notices this, but before he could fathom what was going on, he suddenly gets electrocuted, short circuiting his wrist devices and rendering him unconscious. Meanwhile, Boomerang was struggling to get the webbing out of his eyes, until he realizes that he could just take off his mask. He does just that and he is met with a not-so-pleased Power Girl, arms crossed and all. The criminal gives a nervous smile.

"You ready to surrender Fred?" the Kryptonian asks as she cracks her knuckles. "Please say no."

Boomerang raises his hands in defense, "Hey, come on, we don't have to settle this through fisticuffs." He then begins to look up and down at Power Girl. "In fact, I can think of another way we can settle our differences."

Spider-Man winces at this, "Whelp, it's been nice knowing you Boomerang."

Power Girl looks at the criminal with a raised eyebrow while Boomerang gives out a flirtatious grin.

Moments later, Speed Demon, Overdrive and Shocker are all in handcuffs and sitting inside the back of a police van. Boomerang, who is unconscious, sporting a black eye and also handcuffed, gets thrown in along with them.

As Spider-Man watches the two police officers close the door, he turns to his girlfriend, "Jeez, you didn't have to hit him THAT hard."

"That pervert had it coming," Power Girl says with her hands on her hips. "What did they take from that warehouse anyway?"

"It was a prototype for a brand new, state of the art watch that STAR Labs is making. It was brought here from Central City to be put in storage before they get ready to manufacture it. Boomerang thought it was a good idea to nab it sell it to the highest bidder."

"Unbelievable. The things these criminals do to get rich."

"Spider-Man, Power Girl," Norah calls out as she rushes towards the two heroes. She has a pink phone in hand and points it towards the two heroes. "Do you have any comments about your recent victory against Boomerang's Sinister Six?"

Before the spider hero could say anything, Power Girl cuts in, "First of all, there's only five of them, second of all, I'd say it was a hollow victory. One of them got away because some dumb kid, who claims to be a reporter, thought it was a good idea to get close to the action."

As the blonde Kryptonian begin to stare daggers at Norah, the young journalist remains silent but clearly had a look of hurt in her eyes for a microsecond before immediately regaining her composure.

Spider-Man was sharp enough to notice and decides to ease the tension, "Anyway, we were able to retrieve the prototype they stole and nobody got hurt. I'd say it was a job well done."

Feeling at ease with the wall crawler's presence, Norah asks more questions, "So Spider-Man, about a week ago you were hospitalized following your fight with a mysterious pale man, and then you disappeared from your hospital bed and went missing for a few days. You mind telling your viewers where you went?"

Spider-Man shrugged, "Let's just say that after that…brutal defeat I…had to do a little soul searching. But I'm back now, and better than ever. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

The young reporter nods, "Okay, one final question. There have been rumors speculating that you and Power Girl are an item. Care to confirm or deny those rumors?"

"Uh…well…"

Power Girl finally cuts in, "Okay, this interview is officially over. The police have everything under control, we're pretty much done here."

"Wait…can you at least tell me what the Sinister Si..er…Five were trying to steal?"

"Goodbye Norah," Power Girl replies in an annoyed tone.

With that, the Kryptonian wraps an arm around Spider-Man's hips and the two take off.

During the flight to their apartment in Brooklyn, Power Girl notices her boyfriend being awfully quiet. For as long as she has known him, she knows that is never a good thing.

"Okay, let's hear it."

"That reporter kid who interviewed us, don't you think you were being a little harsh on her?"

The blonde rolls her eyes, "It was because of her that Beetle got away."

"I know that, but bad guys pull cheap diversions like that all the time, and we, as the noble goody-goods that we are, always take the bait. It just comes with the territory. We'll get her next time, it's really no big deal."

"I met that girl a couple of nights ago. She was at this bar in the East Village where she got herself involved with a group of thugs all because she was "following a lead on something". If I hadn't been there at that specific moment in time, she would have gotten herself killed…or worse."

"I'll admit, what she did was pretty reckless and stupid, that I can agree on. But I do get where she's coming from. I was just like that during my early years as a photographer. She has that kind of drive that all journalists have when doing the very job that they love. I respect that…even though I don't condone her actions."

"Yeah, but the difference between you and her is that you have a sixth sense that tells you, "Hey, don't open that door. There's a pendulum on the other side that will cut you in two."

"Actually my spider sense only tells me that I'm in imminent danger. It doesn't exactly give me the specifics. Pretty common misconception."

"My point is, I don't want her to go way in over her head. We heroes may do all these amazing things and save a lot of lives, but we can't always be there for everybody. There could be a point where I won't even be there to pull her ass out of the fire. You know that better than anyone."

"…Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it. Still, I say take it easy on her. There are better ways to convince her not to live so dangerously without dressing her down and telling her how incompetent she is."

Power Girl sighs, "I guess you're right. I just don't want her to get hurt that's all. I actually care about her well-being. Is that really a bad thing?"

"Nope, in fact that's what I love about you."

The next day, Karen and Peter both had the day off from their respective jobs. This gave Karen an opportunity to surprise her boyfriend with something special.

"Can I take off this blindfold now?" the wall crawler asks.

"Hold on just a little longer hon," Karen replies. "Okay, now you can take it off."

Peter removes the blindfold and now has a look of awe at what he is seeing. They seem to be in some kind of subterranean city, but the architecture is unlike anything the spider hero has ever seen before. The buildings are made of stone, but are structured in a way where everything is curvy and stretched out, almost like a spider web that was freshly weaved.

"Where are we?" Peter finally asks.

"This is the underground city of Strata." Karen explains. "A variety of different races live down here in peace, isolating themselves from the surface world. It is said that this place was built in the remains of an "Astronaut God" whose corpse crash landed here on Earth centuries ago, which in turn caused the Ice Age."

"Pfft, yeah, right. Still, this place is incredible. How did you manage to find a place like this?"

"PETER," a young female voice calls out.

Peter turns around and sees Atlee rushing to him. The geomancer glomps the wall crawler and begins sobbing.

"You're alive. Kara told me that…that you died. That some pale meanie hurt you really badly. I didn't want to believe it but…"

Peter, having recovered from being startled by Atlee's sudden action, returns the hug. "All of that is true I'm afraid. But hey, if Green Arrow can cheat death, then so can I. Still, I'm sorry to have to put you through that." He then looks at his girlfriend apologetically. "Both of you."

Karen smiles, "Just don't die on me again and we'll call it even."

As the two break apart, Peter asks, "So what are you doing here anyway?"

Atlee wipes the tears from her eyes and giggles, "Well, if you have to know, this is where I live."

Peter looks surprised again, "Really?"

"Well, where did you think she was from, Apokolips?" Karen cuts in.

Peter looks over at Karen with a deadpanned look, "With a personality like that? I doubt it."

The two heroes follow Atlee through the city until they eventually stop at a large pool, with water erupting from large fumaroles.

"Okay Karen, seriously, what are we doing here?" Peter asks.

"Well, I figured after all the craziness you and I went through these past couple of weeks, you and I deserve a much needed break. Remember when I told you about the time Ultra-Humanite switched bodies with Atlee?"

"Which I still find incredibly creepy by the way."

"And scary," says Atlee.

Karen continues, "Well, after all of that was resolved, we decided to stick around for a little while and get some R&R. This place here is Strata's equivalent of a spa, and let me tell ya, it was the most relaxing experience of my life. When you and I started dating, I've always wanted to bring you here as our own little retreat."

Peter smiles and then takes in the view of the pool in front of him, "You sure thought of everything. Though I kinda wish you didn't leave it as a surprise. I didn't bring my swim trunks."

"You don't have to worry about that babe, the Stratans got that part covered too."

Atlee giggles, knowing that was her cue to leave, "Have fun you two." With that, she leaves the two adults to have their alone time.

Moments later, some of Strata's inhabitants granted Peter a pair of swim trunks, or as they would call it, semi organic neural interface clothing…or SONIC for short. Upon putting the trunks on, they begin to change color and they went from white to blue with a vertical red stripe on each side.

"Wow," the wall crawler comments. "This definitely puts the symbiote to shame."

Peter emerges out of the dressing room, and just when he was about to get in the hot spring, he hears someone whistle at him.

"You know, you may curse that spider for giving you your powers, but it's really hard for me to side with you when you're granted with such a hot bod."

The spider hero turns around and his jaw immediately drops at what he saw. Right in front of him was a beautiful, blonde goddess in a white bikini, with the top showing a good view of her cleavage.

Karen notices this and gives a seductive smile while placing a hand on her right hip, "See something you like?"

"…Do you even have to ask?" Peter retorts as he is looking everywhere besides his girlfriend's face.

"Well if you want, we can just ditch the swimsuits and just skinny dip instead."

"Do you WANT me to die again?"

The two heroes finally set themselves down in the pool, and they both sigh.

"Okay, I'll admit, you're right. This IS very relaxing," says Peter.

"Told ya," says Karen. The blonde then wraps her arms against her boyfriend's left one and leans onto his shoulder, making herself even more comfortable. After settling down for a good long minute, Karen breaks the silence, "So, how are things going in school?"

Peter chuckles, "Now you're starting to sound like Aunt May."

Karen now looks annoyed, "You know what I mean. Those little rugrats giving you any trouble since you came back from your brief…absence?"

Peter shrugs, "Not really, it was just business as usual. Although…"

Karen looks at Peter with curiosity, "What?"

"We may have a bit of a problem."

"What do you mean, "We"?"

*Flashback*

Midtown High School, Queens, NY

Peter walks around the room, as he lectures his students on today's lesson.

"So what makes tonicity important, is that it determines what kind of extracellular solution is made to make water move in or out of a cell by osmosis. Now this is broken up into three solutions: hypertonic, hypotonic and isotonic. For the solution to be isotonic that would mean the extracellular fluid has the same osmolarity as the cell, which means there will be no net movement of water into or out of the cell. Now, assuming some of you have done the reading at home, can you tell me what kind of solution gives the extracellular fluid a much higher osmolarity than the fluid inside the cell, thus making the water move out of the cell to the region of higher solute concentration? Anyone?"

With nobody raising their hand, Peter decided to do what most teachers do in this situation and pick a student at random. He likes to go for the ones who are paying attention the least. In this case, it was Fisher, who seems to be drawing something on his notebook.

The science teacher walks over to the young man, "Fisher, I remember you getting a passing grade on last week's exam. Maybe you might know the answer…to…"

But before Peter could even finish, he takes a good look at Fisher's drawing. It was an image of black spider, one that resembles the emblem his alter ego is widely known to have on his costume. However, that's not the only thing Peter saw. There was also some text below the symbol. In big, bold letters it reads, "I KNOW". The spider hero then looks at Fisher, and the young boy has a serious look on his face.

As he continues to look him in the eyes, Peter finally says, "See me at the end of the day."

The rest of the students all look at Fisher, thinking he drew something inappropriate and is now in a heap of trouble.

After leaving his final class of the day, Fisher does what he was told and arrives at his science teacher's classroom. Peter proceeds to close the door and lock it. He then turns to his student who is standing there anxiously.

The two look at each other for several seconds until Fisher spoke up, "Am I in trouble Mr. Parker?"

Peter then sighs, "No, you're not in trouble Fisher."

"So are you wondering how I figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"

The red haired boy rolled his eyes, "I saw the picture on your desk. The one with your girlfriend. And seeing who your girlfriend is, I now know how you were able to get Power Girl to meet Jenny. There was also news reports of Power Girl visiting Spider-Man at the hospital when he got injured that one time, and rumors are circulating that the two of them are dating. Finally, at the same time Spidey was put in the hospital, only to go missing soon after, you got into an accident and was put in a coma."

Peter was trying to come up with more excuses, but eventually, he gave up, "I warned Karen that something like this was gonna happen."

Fisher's face lit up, "So I was right? My own science teacher is really Spider-Man?"

"…Yeah."

"THAT IS SO COOL! I GOT A SUPERHERO AS A TEA…"

Peter rushes over to his student and covers his mouth, "Not so loud. This classroom isn't soundproof you know. Yes, I'm Spider-Man. But you can't let anyone else know, not even Jenny."

After releasing him, Fisher says, "Yeah, yeah, I know. The whole school would be in danger if people found out. I've read a lot of comic books Mr. Parker, I know how it goes. So the rumors are true then. You and Power Girl really ARE dating."

Peter now smiles, "Yep, it's true. We've been together for three years now." His face now falls. "And she also told me about how you blackmailed her when you figured out HER secret."

Fisher looks at his teacher sheepishly, "I deleted the photos, and I promised I would never do something like that again."

"Good, that means I won't have to worry about you asking for extra credit. Speaking of Power Girl, there's one other thing I need you to promise me, you can't tell anyone about my relationship with her."

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to keep that a secret? Any other guy would shout out to the heavens that he's dating Power Girl."

"Yeah, but if the wrong people find out about us, it could mean trouble for both of us. I don't want Doc Ock to attack Karen just because we're close. That means it's my fault if something happens to her."

Fisher nods his head, "Okay Mr. Parker, your secret is safe with me. You have my word."

Peter smiles again, "I appreciate it. You're a good kid Fisher, and if Karen trusts you, then so will I."

"So…does this mean I get extra credit for figuring out your secret identity?"

"Don't push it."

*End of flashback*

Karen sighs, "Well, it was bound to happen."

"Yeah, but I was so sure I was being careful. I knew Fisher was very bright, but I guess I underestimated just how bright he really was."

"Like I said, you can trust him. He hasn't blown my secret yet, so he definitely won't blow yours." The blonde begins to look embarrassed about something. "But, uh, since we're on the topic of people knowing who we are, something…interesting…happened at work today…"

Peter looks at his girlfriend with a worried expression, "What happened?"

Karen bites her lip, "Well…"

*Flashback*

Starrware, Manhattan, NY

Karen is in her office filling out the last of her paperwork when she hears a sudden knock at her door.

"Come on in," she says as she focuses on what is currently on her desk.

The door opens and Anna Maria enters the room with a portfolio in hand. She sees what her boss is doing and asks, "Is this a bad time? I can come by later when you're not busy."

"No, that's alright Anna," Karen says as she looks at her intern with a smile. "I was just finishing up on some paperwork. What brings you here?"

"Well, first I wanted to say that I'm glad your boyfriend has fully recovered from his unfortunate accident."

The blonde smiles, "Thanks Anna, I'll be sure to tell him you said that."

"Sure, although, something has been on my mind these past few days."

This got Karen curious, "Oh? And what's that?"

"Remember that time when we were in the break room, and we saw that news report on TV about Spider-Man having gone missing, and then you went off when Jameson comments about how he was hoping that he stayed missing, possibly dead?"

Karen waves her hand dismissively, "Oh that old nugget, I was just overwhelmed by what happened to my boyfriend. And seeing that jerk Jameson criticize Spider-Man on TV as usual didn't help matters."

"Right, that's understandable, but then I noticed this."

Anna Maria opens up her portfolio, and what she places on her boss's desk were photos of that dent she had made on the table prior to storming out of the break room.

"I saw you slam your fist on this very table which was made out of reinforced stainless steel. Any normal human would have hurt themselves if they hit it with that kind of force."

Karen begins to look around the room nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about. That dent was always there."

"Sure, but then I found something that was REALLY odd. I did some digging in some of our backlogs, and I noticed how some of our technology and inventions were often borrowed by Power Girl to aid her in her heroics. Not that that's a bad thing, I'm glad our efforts are being used to help out our heroes, it's just odd that she's the one who comes to us for help the most."

"Yeah, well, the Flash always get help from STAR Labs whenever he needs technology to aid him. It's not like it's a unique concept. Wait a minute, are you trying to say…"

"That I think you're Power Girl? That's exactly what I'm saying."

Deep down, Karen was sweating buckets at the thought of her cover possibly being blown. But she decides to mask her concern by laughing. A

nna Maria raises an eyebrow at her boss's sudden action.

Karen's laughter dies down and says, "I'm sorry, it just…that's ridiculous. Me? Power Girl? Pfft, yeah right. That's a good one Anna. I mean can you imagine?"

Anna just nods her head, but has a look that says she isn't buying it one bit. So she decides to take another course of action. She takes a nearby chair and walks over to the nearest window.

Karen sees this and now has a look of concern, "Uh, Anna? What are you doing?"

The petite girl shrugs as she climbs onto the chair, "Just testing out a theory."

She then opens the window and what happens next sent Karen into a state of panic. Anna climbs to the edge of the window and immediately jumps off.

"ANNA," the blonde yells.

The petite girl is now plummeting 30 stories. She sees the pavement down below and closes her eyes, bracing for impact…but it never came. Anna Maria opens her eyes and sees her boss, carrying her bridal style, as she gently lands on the rooftop of the Starrware building.

The intern smiles, "I knew it."

However, Karen was not happy.

After setting Anna Maria down, she gives her a scolding look, "What the hell were you thinking? You could've been killed."

Anna Maria shrugs, "What can I say? I can get pretty desperate when I want to be proven right on my theories. And by the looks of things, it was totally worth it."

Karen sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "Okay, fine, yes, I'm Power Girl. You were right."

"Who else knows?" the petite woman asks.

"Just my boyfriend and a handful of people in the superhero community…and some kid who tried to blackmail me."

The intern raises an eyebrow, "A kid tried to blackmail you?"

"Yeah, but we're cool now."

"And I'm guessing your boyfriend is Spider-Man, which means the rumors about the two of you dating are true."

The blonde looks away and scratches the back of her head, "…I cannot confirm nor deny."

Anna Maria smirks, "Okay fine, you can keep that part a secret. But man, my own boss is a superhero."

Karen chuckles, "Yeah, well, let me tell ya, it ain't easy being both a superhero and the CEO of a science and research company. But having my employees learn about my double life is definitely something I've been trying to prevent. The last thing I want is to put everyone in danger."

Anna Maria lowers her head in shame, "I…I haven't really thought about it that way…I'm sorry."

Karen crouches down and puts a hand on her intern's shoulder, "Hey, don't sweat it okay? You are a very intelligent woman Anna. If anything, I blame myself for being so careless. What's done is done."

The petite woman nods, "Well…for what it's worth, I think it's kinda cool that there are superheroes out there who are willing to do some good both in and out of costume."

The Kryptonian smiles, "I appreciate the compliment. Now come on, let's head inside. I'm sure everyone is probably wondering where we are."

As the two women leave the rooftop, Anna asks, "Sooo, does this mean I'm not fired?"

"You promise to keep my true identity a secret...and to not do something as crazy and suicidal as jumping out a window again?"

"You have my word boss."

"Then you're not fired."

*End of flashback*

"Oy," Peter says as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "And THIS is why I keep suggesting you wear glasses like Clark. It makes it less easy for people to put two and two together."

"It's not like anyone looks at my face anyway. So I slipped up a little, it's no big deal. I just got to be more careful next time."

"Still, that intern of yours is something else."

"Anna is one of the best I've had in recent years. I feel like I can trust her. Besides, I've been thinking about hiring her as a full time employee for a while."

Peter just nods, "Man, this pool is way too relaxing for its own good."

Karen chuckles, "That's because it's no ordinary pool."

This grabs the spider hero's attention, "It's not?"

"Nope, in fact this entire area channels directly into your emotions. Here, check this out."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere an image of Spider-Man appears within one of the geysers. He then begins to remove his mask, revealing the face of Peter Parker.

"This was when you first revealed your secret identity to me," Karen explains. "I always cherished this moment because, for a while, I always respected your privacy. Not once have I used my X-Ray vision to take a peek under that mask…Well…maybe I used it to look at everything else that WASN'T your face."

Peter smirks, "And you call Boomerang a pervert."

Karen also smirks, "Do I really need to remind you what YOU were doing not too long ago?"

"…Fair enough."

"Anyway, when you showed me your face, it made me very happy. Because that meant that I fully gained your trust. We grew closer than ever before after that moment."

Peter smiles, "Yeah, come to think of it, I do feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Was this how you felt when I revealed my identity to you?"

"Pretty much yeah."

The spider hero takes a closer look at the image of himself. He sees himself smiling and is being surrounded by a soft yellow glow.

"Why does it look like the sun is shining down on me? If I remember, we were inside the JSA brownstone."

The blonde heroine chuckles again, "That's me taking in just how handsome you are."

"Well, good to see I didn't disappoint." With no more words being spoken, the two heroes lean into each other and enjoy their alone time.

Riker's Island, New York City

Boomerang, who is now clad in prison garb, lies casually on his bed. A prison guard approaches his jail cell, and accompanying him is a tan-skinned woman with dark hair, wearing a purple blazer, a black pencil skirt and black high heels.

"Mr. Myers," the guard speaks. "Come on out, you're free to go."

Moments later, Fred is exiting the prison alongside the woman. He glares at her, "I'm still mad at you for ditching us by the way."

The woman, now revealed to be the Beetle, rolls her eyes, "Unlike you, I still have a reputation to maintain. You should be thankful I was able to pull some strings and bail you guys out. In fact, if it wasn't for our client, I would have left you guys to rot…Well…maybe not Overdrive."

What Janice just said caught Fred's attention, "Client? What do you mean client?"

As the two exit the gate, they are greeted by a man with short brown hair and glasses, wearing a blue spring jacket, khaki pants and dress shoes.

"Nice to finally meet you Boomerang," the man finally speaks.

"And who the hell are you?" Fred asks with a raised eyebrow.

The man takes out his hand, "I'm Leonard Snart, you might know me best as Captain Cold. I hear you and your crew were trying to steal a prototype watch from STAR Labs and sell it. Maybe my Rouges and I can help you out with that. I would also like to purchase that watch too, and I'm willing to pay you handsomely for it."

Fred blinks at the offer, then grins, "You had me at, "paying me handsomely". Alright Cold, I'm listening."

(A/N) See Chapter 5: Date Night

Looks like The Rogues have come to the Big Apple and are looking to join forces with Boomerang and his crew. Be here next time to find out what happens next.

Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on the story so far. Until next time...