Chapter 98: Stacy Family Dinner -1

The morning's chaos is still fresh in your mind, and it's funny how, despite all these changes, much of the 'canon' stuff is still occurring in a similar manner.

Even though Iron Man became Iron Woman, Toni is still Toni. After almost losing her life last night, it only strengthened her resolve to make stronger suits.

You chuckle, recalling how she insisted, "Obadiah won only because he was wearing Mk-II, the suit I made."

It's a bit scary too, as until now only the relatively good canon events have happened, but in the Marvel universe, there's a plethora of very bad canon events too.

And the frustrating part is that you don't exactly know which one will occur and when it will occur, even when you have a precognition power you still can't be totally sure, in this jumbled-up Marvel universe!

You sigh, knowing that all you can do is prepare better for the uncertain future ahead. Pushing these thoughts aside, you fix a smile and ring the doorbell of the apartment.

Ding Dong

The door opens, and your smile widens at the sight of the girl before you.

It was Gwendolyne Stacy, your sister's classmate and best friend, and Captain Stacy's daughter.

In the comics, she was also Ghost-Spider.

Ghost-Spider was just Spider-Man with a few extra powers. She was also the girlfriend of Spider-Man, whether it be Peter or Miles.

Gwen's bright eyes light up at the sight of you. "Lucas! You shouldn't have," she exclaims, her tone affectionate yet slightly chiding as she takes the gifts from your hands.

"It's nothing, Gwen. Just a little something for the family," you reply with a warm smile, pulling her into a hug. Gwen, initially surprised, hugs you back tightly.

"You're alright, right? MJ and Dad told me you were fine, but seeing you on the news had me really worried!" she asks, grabbing your arms.

"Yeah, luckily neither Pepper nor I were injured yesterday," you assure her as she sighs in relief, noting that there is no visible injury on you.

"That's good. There are lots of rumours floating around online about last night," she mentions as she brings you inside.

Inside, the familiar coziness of the Stacy apartment welcomes you.

"Mom, it's Luke, he's here," Gwen calls out as she closes the door behind you.

"Luke?" another woman's voice rings out from inside. A woman removes her apron and walks towards you from the kitchen.

It was Helen Stacy, Gwen's mother, her aged yet gorgeous face softening into a smile as she sees you.

"Luke, it's so good to see you!" she exclaims, pulling you into another hug.

Unlike her daughter, Helen was surely more 'gifted', and you can definitely feel those gifts through the hug.

As she steps back, her expression turns concerned. "We were all so worried about you after the terrorist incident at Stark HQ. Are you okay?"

You sigh inwardly, knowing this will be the norm, especially with people who don't know about your powers.

You give her a reassuring nod. "I'm fine, Aunty Helen. It was a close call, but we managed to get through it."

Helen sighs with relief, patting your arm. "Thank goodness, and I have told you many times, call me Helen. Come, sit down, George should be home any minute now."

"Okay, Helen," you smile warmly and follow her.

You take a seat on the comfortable sofa in the living room.

"You guys talk, the dinner is almost done," Helen says with a smile as she heads back to the kitchen.

Gwen sits beside you. "I asked MJ to come too tonight, but she said she was busy with something important," she mentions with a shrug.

MJ has been spending a lot of time with Sage, especially after knowing that she has become COO of the Watson Group. Even though on paper she is 20, her real age is the same as her.

And tonight, Sage herself had called MJ to hang out; she must be in need of destressing after she completed her revenge yesterday.

Just then, Gwen grabs your arm, "Aeon & Iron Woman, tell me everything," she asks impatiently.

Ugh, MJ, Liz, Penny, and now even Gwen, it's like all of your friends are crazy about superheroes.

But before you could respond, the doorbell rings again.

"It must be Dad," Gwen says as she gets up and goes to open the door.

She returns with her dad, George Stacy, the captain of NYPD, still in uniform, looking tired but pleased to see you.

"Lucas!" George greets with a broad smile, striding over to you and patting your shoulder. "Thanks for coming. I know you're a busy man, but Helen and Gwen kept insisting I invite you home for dinner."

"Uncle George, you know I will always have time for you all. You are like family to me," you reply, seeing Uncle George's smile widen, "And besides, you're the one busier than me, always keeping this city safe."

"It's just my duty," he responds with a smile.

"Dad, you can freshen up and change out of your uniform. Mom is ready with dinner," Gwen suggests from beside him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to go back to the precinct soon, so there's no point in changing my clothes," Uncle George explains with a shake of his head.

"Even today? But Luke has come to our house after such a long time," Helen says as she comes out of the kitchen.

"You know how busy we are at the precinct, Helen. I hardly took the time out to come here so I could at least have dinner with Luke," Uncle George smiles bitterly at Helen, who just sighs wearily.

"Okay then, let's quickly have dinner," Gwen interjects as she leads you to the dining hall.

Helen and Gwen start setting the table for dinner. The aroma of home-cooked food fills the air, and you are definitely feeling hungry.

"Wow, this all looks amazing," you compliment as Helen serves you your portion. "Helen, you've outdone yourself again."

Helen smiles warmly. "Thank you, Luke. But I can't take all the credit, Gwen made a dish especially for you tonight."

Gwen blushes slightly, glancing at you a bit shyly. "I hope you like it."

You taste Gwen's dish, spaghetti, and smile at her. "It's delicious, Gwen. You did a fantastic job."

Gwen's cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and you see Helen and Uncle George exchange a pleased glance. It is clear they like the idea of you and Gwen becoming closer.

As the meal progresses, Uncle George starts reminiscing about how he met you years ago. You had met the Stacy family at a charity event where your Watson Group and the NYPD had collaborated on community safety and support for underprivileged children.

There, MJ and Gwen, who were not in the same school yet, had started talking, being of similar age, and Uncle George himself was astonished to see Pepper, the then CEO of Watson Group, stand behind a 15-year-old kid.

You smile wryly and shift the conversation to Uncle George's work, prompting him to share his woes. "The gang wars in the city are getting out of hand," Uncle George remarks, his tone serious. "Especially in Hell's Kitchen. It's a mess out there."

"Is it really that bad?" you ask curiously, not having had much contact with your blind friend since that night, although you do get some updates from Karen regularly and can check the Index for his activities if needed.

"It's very bad. Our jail cells are filled with criminals ready to be processed, and if not there, then it's the hospital. The crazy thing is that it's not because of the rival gangs, but because of that 'Devil of Hell's Kitchen' running around," Uncle George says with an annoyed face.

"Is he the same person you mentioned who saved like 50 women a month ago?" Gwen asks curiously. "You still don't know who he is? Does he have superpowers too?"

"We don't know, and that month ago case, the surviving Russian members and the rescued women were adamant that there were not one but two Devils that night. He's always one step ahead of us, making it very hard to catch him," Uncle George says with frustration.

"But he seems to be helping out, though. Can you not arrest him?" Gwen inquires, raising her eyebrow.

Uncle George shakes his head. "Help or not, vigilantes always complicate things. Just look at the Fantastic Four. Their battles cause so much damage, even yesterday night's fight had so much property damage."

Helen rolls her eyes. "George, can we please not talk about work for once? Let's hear about Gwen's studies instead," she suggests, looking towards Gwen. "Gwen, why don't you tell Luke about your school?" she asks with a smile.

Gwen smiles at you. "School's been going great," she replies simply, giving you another serving of her spaghetti, seeing as you were going to reach for it.

"Tell him about your internship," Uncle George prompts, drinking a glass of water.

"I have applied for an internship at Oscorp," Gwen says looking at you.