𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦 (𝘊. 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯)

⥉33⥉

A soft knock at her door makes Blake look up from her bedroom floor where she has cleaned and layed out every one of her guns. She doesn't want to chance a jam if she going up against Kasady. "Coming!" She shouts.

"Smells like chocolate. Yummy."

Blake pulls her door open and on the other side is May Parker with a white box in her hands. "Blake!" She says with a smile. "Hi! I um-" May lifts up the box. "I made you chocolate cake!" Blake creases her brows. Why would May make her anything? "Well, I didn't make it. I mean I did, but I put too much batter in the cake pan and it overflowed and spilled all over the inside of my oven, then it caught fire and I panicked and used the fire extinguisher and that ended up getting everywhere and- Oh! I'm sorry I'm rambling!"

The flustered woman covers her face with her hand, nearly dropping the cake before Blake grabs it. She smiles at May and steps to the side. "Why don't you come in?" She offers. May stares at her nervously for a moment then nods and walks in. The thin woman takes in the room around her and frowns. The bare minimum is what fills the room. A rutty couch, TV on the floor, no photos on the walls, a tall lamp sitting in the corner, even a window with a piece of cardboard preventing the cooling weather from coming in as it has clearly broken.

"This is um- Nice! Very nice." May says as she rubs her hands together. Blake sets the cake box on the counter. "I want to eat!" Venom demands. Blake ignores him. "So, what can I do for you?" Blake asks as she tucks her hands in the pockets of her black jeans. May turns to her and bites her lip, eyes full of anxiety and fear. "I um- Peter." She says. "Peter told me about... You being his mom." Blake takes a deep breath and nods slowly.

May takes a step forward. "I wanted to- I don't know, talk. You know, about... it." It being the relation between Peter and Blake. She motions to the bar stool at her kitchen island and May takes a seat. Blake leans on the counter behind her and May stares at her. Peter wasn't kidding when he told her that Blake is intimidating even in a neutral stance.

"If you don't mind my asking; Why did you give him up?" May instantly turns red, embarrassed at her phrasing. "I mean- I- Why didn't you choose to raise him?" Blake's eyes dance back and forth in thought as she looks at May. She sighs and crosses her arms. "My mother died when I was 12 and my father had raised me and my brothers as a drill sergeant instead of as a parent. I had no idea how to be a mother."

May's eyes soften slightly and Blake looks away from the pity in her eyes. "I had just turned 23 when I had Peter and my father had just kicked me out. I had no one and nothing." Blake takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "I thought about it. Keeping him, but I knew I couldn't give him a good life. One that he deserved. So, I let him go hoping he would find something better."

Blake looks at May. "Turns out he did."

May's mouth falls agape, then she looks down, tears gathering in her eyes. "And you want him back now, don't you?" Blake creases her brows and shakes her head. "You think I want to take him from you?" May's head snaps up. "Well- Isn't that why you are here? To get him back?" Blake sighs and stands straight.

"May, I never really left Peter in the first place." May shakes her head, not understanding. "I've kept an eye on him his whole life, making sure he was safe. I was there when he won first place at the science fair when he was 10. I was there when he broke his arm trying to swing on the monkey bars at the park. I watched as he walked into high school for the first time." Blake sighs and gives May a look of certainty. "If I wanted to take him from you, I would have done it when his parents died."

May shakes her head and hides her face in her hands as she cries. "I'm sorry. I just- Everytime he goes out in that suit I'm afraid I'm going to lose him, and then he told me about you and I thought- That's it! I'll never see him again!" May wipes at her eyes and blinks up at the ceiling. Blake hands her a piece of paper towel and the woman mutters a 'thank you'. The Winchester watches as May dabs at her eyes and nose in silence.

"May," Blake starts and leans onto the kitchen island. "No one is taking Peter from you." May looks at her. "Not any of the people he fights, not Stark, not the law, especially not me." Blake reaches forward and takes May's hand. "You, Ben, Richard and Mary raised Peter. He's got my DNA but that's the end of it. Whatever comes after that is up to Peter."

May stares into Blake's eyes, then reaches over the table to pull her into a hug. Blake is surprised at first, then melts into the hug. Tears build in her eyes, so she pulls out of the hug and dries her eyes before May can see. "So," She smiles. "What do you say we have some cake?"

☥

Blake licks the last bit of chocolate off her lip. She ate the whole thing minus one slice for May. (Venom was very happy). The Italian woman had left nearly 30 minutes ago after she and Blake spoke about Peter and how they were going to share guardianship over him. They considered Peter switching housing for weekends to Blake's place, but with them literally living two doors away from each other, it was impractical. So, they would work together to raise him and keep him safe. That's exactly what Blake is working on now.

She flips the page of the book she is reading. It has no title on its cover, it's too ancient for that. Instead, it has an intricate design sprawled out over its outside, a large jem in the center on the front. It almost glows as it is being read, dark magic just itching to be released.

"What are we doing?" Venom asks. "I want to go out. I'm bored!" He pulls Blake's arm out towards the window. She pulls it back, eyes not leaving the book. "Researching. If the Avengers or we fail to keep Peter safe, I need some insurance that nothing will happen to him." Even if it meant using the very thing hunters are trained to fight. The darkness and everything in it.

Blake's phone rings and she reaches over to it, pausing as she reads who is calling. She frowns when she reads 'No Caller ID'. "Blake." She answers. "Blakely." Blake jumps to her feet, book long forgotten. "Cletus." She growls. Blake runs over to her laptop and sends a message to Clint to have Tony track the call.

"Did you get my gift?" He asks sweetly. Blake begins to feel nauseated. "What did you do to him?" She demands. "Oh, I s'pose the rest of him is being collected by the NYPD now. Deck the streets with boughs of Benny!" Kasady sings. Blake runs a hand through her hair. This is all becoming too much for her. If she is going to fix this, she needs a backup plan.

"I swear if you hurt anyone else-"

"You made a rather smart offspring, Blakey. All A's since the age of 7, impressive. I myself was up there. Maybe a few C's here and there-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING HIM!" Venom roars as he emerges. Cletus laughs through the phone. "Ha ha! There he is! How's the ol' invasive species doing?" Venom growls at his words. "If you even think about going near him we swear we'll-"

"What? Eat me?" Kasady laughs. "No, I think it is me that will be whining and dining very soon. I have to say, your species is quite impressive. The things you can do..." Blake remerges, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. "What are you talking about?" She asks with a quiet voice. Any louder and he would have heard how scared she is. "A good friend of yours gave me a little taste of symbiosis. Jessida, I believe?"

Blake falls to her knees, Kasady's laughter filling the air as the world around her begins to fade.

Cletus Kasady has a symbiote.

Now everything has gone to shit.

~author's notes~

I know, I know, its been awhile. I've decided to take better care of me and if that means less writing then so be it

this book is soon coming to an end, and to be honest I don't think there will be a sequel

Just get ready for some emotional damage :)