Peter Parker... Stark?

A Deadly Grudge

The prison was dark and damp and cold. There was never enough to eat, never enough privacy, and no one good for company.

At least, that's the way Karen Walters saw it.

After Tony Stark had expressed interest in such an old age group, and then left the orphanage abruptly, she knew something was up. She had taken Tanner into her office, and at first he wouldn't tell her anything. After a few lashes with her strap, he switched up his attitude pretty quickly and spit out all his secrets.

Or, more appropriately, Peter's secrets.

A day went by with no sign of Peter, but before she could do anything much with the information, more police showed up at the orphanage. She'd assumed they were back to continue investigating Lincoln's disappearance, but before she knew what was happening she was sitting in the back of the police cruiser. The words "child abuse", "Peter Parker", and "Tony Stark" were tossed around, and as the police car pulled away from the orphanage, Ms. Walters watched with a sour expression on her face as the older boys stood on the front step of the building, cheering.

Cheering.

She scoffed at the memory.

Now, she was sitting in prison, watching as the teen who'd pulled everything out from under her was announced on TV as Tony Stark's newly adopted son. She also watched several news stories surrounding New York's relief that Spider-Man had returned after his short disappearance. The thought that that insolent boy was getting everything while she was losing it all made her physically sick. He didn't deserve any of it.

The day was reaching into the early hours of the night. She'd been here for several weeks now, and every day the lights dimmed at approximately 10:00. Right on schedule, they started to darken, and she tried to make herself at least somewhat comfortable on the tiny cot that was in her cell.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway opened, and two cops came in with a man between them. He was kicking and fighting, but they had a tight hold on his arms. Another cop followed them in, and once they reached the cell across from Ms. Walters' he used his keycard to open the door. They pushed the man in, and then locked it up behind them.

Once the officers left, the man seemed to take a moment to compose himself more. He smoothed back his greasy hair before meeting Ms. Walters' eyes. A smile appeared on his face as he leaned against the bars of the cell door.

"What's your name, honey?"

"What's it to you?" she said back, uninterested.

"Just thought I'd try making a friend before I get outta here," he said nonchalantly.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"Let's just say I'm part of something... bigger than the theft that's got me stuck here. In fact, if it weren't for that stupid wall-crawler and his--"

Ms. Walters froze. "Wall-crawler?" she interrupted. "As in Spider-Man?"

The man snorted in disgust. "Yeah. The bug caught me in the middle of a job. He's too quick. Without backup, I didn't stand a chance." The man smirked as Ms. Walters's face darkened. "What? You got a history with the web-head, too?"

She chewed on her words for a second before answering. "You might call it more than a history," she said slowly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ms. Walters stood up and approached her own cell door. "I know who he is," she said coolly, knowing that her face betrayed just how honest she really was being.

The man blinked in surprise. "Oh really? Do you mind sharing?"

She smiled slightly. "You said you wouldn't be in here much longer. I'm not spilling until I'm out too."

"Well, I don't make those types of decisions, lady," the man said, meandering over to his cot, "but I'll let my boss know. I'm sure he'd be real interested to know who's been busting his operations these last couple years."

The man laid down and went silent, making it clear the conversation was over. Ms. Walters still had a smile on her face as she went and laid back down on her own cot, the springs in the mattress digging into her hips and back.

That boy had cost her everything, and she had never been the type to relinquish a grudge.

Peter Parker would pay.

(AN: I'm sorry this is a bit of a short chapter! This is kind of like a prologue to the second act of this story, if that's how you want to look at it. I want to get the story rolling again, but I haven't had much time between life and the other story I've been working on (I have published 8 parts BTW, feel free to go check it out!) Hopefully this gives you an idea of where we might be going with this, so until next time y'all! Keep smiling!)