answers to reviewers questions or statements:

Jamal rarick: He'll be irritated at first but that'll change pretty quickly.

Harbinger of Kaos: The point isn't to make Talia's life miserable, but to show that she may have bit off more than she could chew by dragging Peter and some of his assembled cast into the fray. But as for Deadpool showing up... hell yeah.

Mr No Bo Dy: Peter will have his own views on the whole Talia drugged and rapped Bruce to get Damian. Along with waterboarding Jason Todd with a Lazarus Pit... and the creation of Heretic... there's a lot that Talia's been up to over the years that'll give him pause but it's not like Peter's hands are clean in this story either. Laura will work alongside a few of Talia's guard in the coming chapters, some team ups will work, others not so much.

Omni-Creator Kami of Anime: I wouldn't say he's whipped, more of his detreating mental state is making it hard for him to stay focused and thus need someone there to try and get his mind back on track, like a five year old with ADHD or something. But as things get progressively worse, what little control is over Peter will be tossed right out the window.

Rougarou144: Just wait until Shiva shows up and she tag teams Peter with Laura...

Sem: It used to be the same as the assassin Spider-man from Earth-8351, but years of not using it, in that he hasn't actually fought anyone since his 'retirement' and his failing mental state, it's properties are a bit... altered.

MCRasengan: Err yep.

Kai: Well it's been implied that Matthew as the one following Peter through the woods, given the rain and mud, Laura would've assumed that his odd scent was because of that. And even than, she was more focused on Peter. Laura and Talia's confrontation will be happening soon.

Devilboy101: Mystique would offer up quite a few interesting possibilities.

Nomad98: Peter will cross paths with both the Bat family and the Justice League and even a few other teams within the DC universe.

Chaosrealm: Some will, and some will try to kill the other because they don't either want to share or they just don't like the other girls.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or DC characters seen, mentioned or used.

Gotham City, the Dark City of Jersey, Blüdhaven's big brother, the home to the Batman and some of the world's most ruthless and monstrous criminals this side of the Atlantic Ocean and a varying population of just under seven million, some of which suffered from severe mental issues.

In all of Peter's travels when he was with the League of Shadows and later on his own before joining up with Laura's father and his team, Peter has never visited the dark jewel of America. He's heard the stories of course, of how corrupted and crime ridden the city was, how it was often joked to be the very physical representation of how much of a failure America's modern judicial system could be to both the ones it was made to protect and the ones it was meant to punish.

In Peter's opinion, it wasn't the worst place he's been to, he could easily think of a half dozen towns, cities and countries he's been to in the past that make Gotham seem like a Utopia in comparison. But... he supposed there was something saddening about seeing such a large city in a first world nation like America being so... horrible.

'Least it's better than Blüdhaven, now that place is a hell hole' Peter thought as he sat comfortably in Talia's Lincoln Navigator stretch limousine as it slowly made it's way through the traffic congested streets of Gotham.

The ride was a bit cramped given that Peter was sharing the ride with Laura, Talia, her elite guard in the forms of Psylocke, Widow, Cheshire, Honor, and the limo's driver but it was far more relaxed compared to the flight from Alaska. While it was only a four hour flight, it had to be without a doubt the longest four hours of Peter's life as he found himself sitting between Talia and Laura. Talia had settled for reading some sort of novel in silence while Laura stared out a window and watched the passing clouds with an unreadable expression on her face. Both women had remained silent and any of Peter's attempts to strike up a conversation with either was met with failure, leaving him to sit there in awkward silence.

'I wonder if I should've just kept quiet on who killed all of Talia and Cain's people' Peter thought as he stared out of the limo with a bored expression while Talia sat next to him, dressed in a green blouse and black skirt, reading some sort of financial document that he couldn't be bothered to show any interest in.

According to Talia, they'd be setting up in a penthouse that she purchased where she'll than coordinate her faction's efforts to wrestle control of Gotham from Cain's people. Personally Peter thought they should just have the Batman deal with it, it was kind of the guy's job after all, but Talia insisted that she'll be the one to do it. She claimed that the Dark Knight's 'half measures' would be pointless in the long run.

'With how she talks about and criticizes the man, you'd think he was her ex-boyfriend or something' Peter thought with a snort as he spared a brief glance at Talia before retiring his attention to the passing traffic.

"Why Gotham?" Laura spoke for the first time in hours, her attention on a piece of dirt that was lodged under one of her nails.

She'd changed her clothes during the flight, settling on a simple black shirt that showed off a bit of Laura's mid-rift, black jeans while her hair was tied back into a loose pony tail. Her suit, along with Peter's was left in a duffle bag that was resting under her feet.

Talia's eyes flickered up to gaze at Laura for a moment before they returned to the document in her hands while she spoke "Part of the reason is that Cain's faction is supplied with men and women that are funneled through here by the city's resident 'Kingpin', Black Mask, and I'm hoping to disrupt it. Though the main reason is that the Batman's presence here will act as a sort of first layer of defense against Cain and my sister's eventual retaliation against me"

"What makes you think he'll protect you?" Laura asked with a snort.

"He won't have much of a choice in the matter I'm afraid" Talia said with a small smirk as her eyes danced across the document in her hands before she set it down and leaned back in her seat and closed here eyes as she finally began to relax.

"How do we know that Cain or Nyssa haven't already co-opted the Batman's help?" Peter asked as he turned towards Talia with a frown "With the same idea you have in mind"

"The dark Knight hates my sister and Cain even more than even me" Talia chuckled before her face sobered some what "But make no mistake, any of you, the Batman will not be our ally in this endeavor. He will seek to undermine and thwart our actions and thus must be watched closely"

"This is starting to sound familiar" Peter said with a chuckle as his mind wandered back to his and Talia's time in the Pit.

When they were children, and after Talia's mother's death, the two had sought 'protection' from other inhabitants of the Pit by seeking out those that would be able to protect them either by bartering what food and water they had or simply using their fellow inmates hate for one another.

Talia glanced at Peter and gave him a small grin that showed she was thinking something similar.

"Cain's people, and whatever agents that Nyssa has in this city are likely aware of our presence already" Widow said from her seat, her hands on resting on a Vector submachine gun fitted with a silencer, scope and foregrip.

She was the only member of Talia's guard to remain in her black body suit, though she wore a black trench coat over it to hide the numerous knives and weapon holsters she possessed.

Ever since their arrival in the city, Natalia's gaze had been flickering from one window to another, searching for unseen assassins and spies that Peter had no doubt might be there, watching them all. She wasn't the only one, Honor and Elizabeth seemed to be just as tense while Jade, dressed in a green crop top and black spandex pants and heels, remained perfectly at ease, casually filing her nails as she sat cross-legged at the farthest end of the limo.

"As will the Batman if he hasn't noticed already" Psylocke added as she gripped her sheathed katana tightly.

"How would he know?" Peter asked, glancing at the purple haired beauty with a frown.

"He has his ways" Psylocke growled in annoyance "He's also hacked into the city's cameras and likely has face recognition software running to ping him when one of us is seen"

"Impressive. He must have quite a bit of resources to pull off something like that" Laura commented.

"He does" Talia said with a hint of bitter amusement in her voice "Substantial even"

Peter silently released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as the six women began to quietly converse with one another. It was a substantial improvement to the tense silence that hung between them all, the distrust and obvious dislike. A naïve part of Peter hoped that they'd end up as friends or something close to it, but than one of Talia's guards or herself would say something that Laura didn't like or vice versa and the tense silence would return and stay twice as long as before.

It was enough to leave Peter wondering how far he can get when hell eventually breaks loose between them all.

"So what am I gonna do while we're here?" Peter asked after a few moments of silence.

"For the time being, your staying close to me. While my girls here are good, their too well known to some, like the Batman. But you will be an unknown and thus he'll be at a disadvantage for WHEN he tries to confront me" Talia answered as she focused her gaze on Laura who responded in kind before a fond smile broke her face "It'll be like when we were children, my friend"

"What, you pissing people off and I get beat for it?" Peter asked with a confused frown.

That wasn't exactly something he wanted to relive if he could help it.

"I was referring to you protecting me" Talia corrected with a giggle as she bumped her shoulder into Peter's.

"Isn't that what getting beat for you is?" Peter said in a sarcastic tone before he turned his attention to Laura "I'm guessing you'll be sticking close to me huh?"

"Like a drunk in a bar" Laura said as she gave Talia one last look before she returned to digging the piece of dirt out from her nail, this time using one of her metal coated blades.

Peter nodded at this before he turned towards Talia's guard and gave them a friendly smile "Guess we'll be working together a lot"

"Joy..." Natalia answered in a tone as cold and as devoid of warmth as the tundra of her homeland. Silencer simply nodded while Psylocke refrained from answering or reacting in any sort of way. Jade paused in her nail filing and gave Peter a predatory grin as her eyes raked up and down his from like he was something she wanted to sink her teeth and claws into.

"I can't wait" she seemed to purr with a grin to rival the character she used as an alias.

Which Peter thought was kind of warped, Alice in Wonderland was one of his favorite books and knowing there was someone running around assassinating people with the name of his favorite character... well it was like he said, it was kind of warped.

'Long as there's no murderous Mad Hatters, I'll get over the fact this world is screwing with one of my favorite books' Peter thought with a sigh as the limo finally arrived at their destination.

The hotel was nice, easily one of the best that Peter's ever seen, easily in the upper five star category and with the service to match. None of the bellhops or doormen seemed to bat an eye at the visible weapons that Natalia and Elizabeth were carrying, at least not that Peter noticed, and simply asked if they needed help carrying any extra luggage which Talia politely declined. Once they were past the lobby and taking two separate elevators up to the penthouse that Talia reserved, Peter finally voiced his thoughts.

"Those guys down there didn't seem to mind the armed escort you have" Peter gestured to Psylocke and Widow standing behind the two of them.

"It's Gotham" Talia answered in a flat voice as she watched their cart slowly climb the building to the top floor "Their being paid enough to not ask questions. I wouldn't be the first foreign woman from obvious wealth to stay here with an armed escort"

"That doesn't really reassure me" Peter said with a bothered expression on his face.

"It wasn't meant to" Talia said with a smirk as the elevator came to a stop and the doors parted.

"Whoa..." Peter said with a low whistle as he stepped into the penthouse and looked around with wide eyes.

Peter's been in plenty of luxury penthouses over the years, mostly because that was where his target was hiding, and almost all of them were pretty high end and made Peter feel just a bit self conscious around so much obvious wealth. But what he was looking at surpassed any of the past apartments that Peter's ever been in. This looked like it was made for a king. Peter didn't need to turn around to know that Talia was watching him with amusement as he wandered about the ten thousand square foot space. It had several rooms that were the size of the entire first floor of Peter's now destroyed house and fitted with king sized beds and bathrooms with bathtubs that seemed more like hot tubs with how large they were and full walk in showers the size of Peter's old bedroom.

They even had a inside temperature control pool!

"Do I even want to know how much this place costs?" Peter asked as he made his way into the kitchen to see that Laura was already there, helping herself to a vast assortment of liquors that were being stored in a cabinet.

"Close to a million a month" Talia answered with a shrug and a carefree smile on her face "And that's before I add the costs of setting up one of the rooms as a command center of sorts and the added security features I've requested"

"Must be nice to have more money than god" Laura commented from the kitchen island, over a dozen bottles of whiskey and vodka displayed before her.

Talia's brow seemed to twitch at the comment before she gave Laura a smile that seemed a little too sweet and friendly as she gestured towards the vast array of alcohol before the younger woman "I'll take a martini, extra dry, if you wouldn't mind"

"Make it yourself" Laura said with a annoyed scowl on her face as she selected a bottle of some sort of whiskey "I'm not your barmaid"

"Forgive me, I assumed when you came in here and helped yourself to MY drinks, that you were fixing one for everyone, as a sign of gratitude for bringing you along after you butchered my people" Talia said with an edge in her tone though her smile remained "Though I suppose I'm asking too much from you"

Laura glowered at Talia while Peter's gaze flickered back and forth between the two women nervously. It was like watching a tsunami approaching a exploding volcano, he wasn't sure which ne was worse but he knew then the two finally clashed, it wouldn't be pretty.

"Fine, you want a martin, extra dry? I'll give you and your entire fucking harem of little killers a fucking martini!" Laura snapped as she turned towards a cabinet filled with glasses and began collecting enough for Talia, her guard and likely for Peter to just so that the Demon's Daughter wouldn't have anything smart to say.

"Thank you Laura, and be sure to make one for yourself, I wouldn't wasn't you to feel left out" Talia said with victorious look in her eye as she turned away from the kitchen and gestured for Peter to follow her.

Peter made to follow before he stopped and glanced at Laura "Uh, I don't need a drink if you plan-"

"Your getting one!" Laura snapped with a glare.

"Than again it is five o'clock somewhere" Peter said as he quickly left the kitchen and followed Talia. Once he caught up to the woman in the penthouse's living room, he gave Talia a less than amused glare "That was mean"

"If she's going to drink me dry of alcohol, she could at least have the decency of sharing some of it" Talia said with a scoff "Sharing is caring after all"

"Laura isn't really a sharing kind of gal" Peter said in a dry tone.

Talia quirked a brow at this, an amused grin beginning to grow on her face "Is that so? Shame..."

Peter grunted at what Talia was hinting at, he instead turned his attention to the room they were in before he settled his gaze on one of the large couches that looked every bit as comfortable as the beds in the various master and guests rooms "So, am I sleeping here or in one of the apartments below this one where you probably have the rest of your staff staying?"

While the only people that seemed to have sided with Talia were the bodies back in Alaska and the driver that picked them up from the airport, Peter knew that Talia had more people here with her. As resourceful and as skilled as she and her elite guard were, Peter knew that she wouldn't be able to wage any sort of war against the likes of Nyssa or Cain on her own, even with Peter and Laura's addition.

"You'll be sleeping in the room next to mine" Talia answered with her eyes narrowing slightly "And the rest of the rooms are being divided amongst my guard and Laura. I need you all close in the vent that this place is breached"

"Assuming they don't just take an RPG to it" Peter said as he glanced out the massive floor to ceiling windows that led out to a honest to god helicopter pad. Beyond that were a few buildings that were close to or surpassing this hotel in height with plenty of windows that a assassin could peek out of and fire off a rocket or two.

"That's why I had the glass replaced with something sturdier" Talia explained.

"Or they can just take a small plane or helicopter from the nearby airport and fly it right into this place. The weight and speed of the craft, coupled with the fuel igniting during the crash and any explosives they might want to jam it full of will be more than capable of breaking through your re-enforced glass" Peter countered with a shrug as his own mind raced with possible ways to destroy this place if it was housing someone he needed to kill.

"Natalia said something similar" Talia said with a sigh.

"Nice to know that a fellow spider is on the same page as me" Peter joked before a thought occurred to him and he opened his mouth to speak when Talia beat him to it.

"She's not like you, she just happened to pick a codename that was spider related" Talia answered his unspoken question.

"Oh... well I guess that's good" Peter said as he cleared his throat "There'd be too many Spider-women running around if she was"

"What do you mean by that?" Talia asked with a raised brow.

"It's... a long story" Peter said with a sigh as he made his way to the window "I'll explain later..."

"I'm sure you will" Talia said as her eyes followed Peter's movements.

Peter didn't respond immediately as he scanned the cityscape for a few moments before frowning "You know, I was expecting this city to be more... gothic"

"What do you mean?" Talia said as she came to stand beside Peter and gaze out over the city with her arms folded across her chest.

"Well, I always thought Gotham looked like a city that was designed by Tim Burton or something. Lots of gothic styled buildings and stuff made you think your walking through some Transylvanian city or something" Peter said with a shrug as he did in fact spy a few buildings that seemed to fit what the man was expecting to see.

"It used to look like that" Talia admitted with a chuckle "But after the 'Cataclysm' that rendered this city a wasteland for a time, it's been 'modernized' for the lack of a better term"

Peter hummed at this as he gazed out towards the bay and noticed a island that housed the infamous Arkham Asylum "Were you here for that? The earthquake I mean? I heard about it but I never really bothered to give it much attention"

"No, I wasn't" Talia said with a shake of her head as she turned to see a young Asian woman dressed in a rather expensive looking all black business suit approaching her and Peter with a tablet in her hands.

She was Talia's height though her body was slimmer in comparison to the Demon's Daughter. Her hair was held up in a topknot held together by two metal hair sticks that Talia knew doubled as a pair of thin knives as did the heel portion for the woman's black high heels. Maki Matsumoto may not look it, but she was one of the deadliest fighters in the world, perhaps not to the same levels as Slade and Shiva, but more than a match for most.

And she had an almost uncanny accuracy to rival the likes of Deadshot and her late male counterpart.

Peter noticed the newcomer approaching and quirked a brow at them before he glanced at Talia "Who's she? She a secretary or something?"

"This, Peter, is my lawyer-" Talia nodded towards the beautiful woman "-Maki Matsumoto. She's helped me navigate the business and political laws of the world over the years and exploit every single legal loophole imaginable. She's even helped keep certain 'heroes' at bay with the precocious laws they claim to uphold"

"Good afternoon, Peter-san" Maki said with a small respectful bow "It is an honor to meet a cherished friend of Talia-sama. I hope to be of service to you during your stay in Gotham"

"Uh, thanks. And uh nice to meet you too miss Matsumoto..." Peter replied with a small wave, lawyers weren't exactly Peter's favorite brand of people.

They had a knack for draining people drier than a half starved vampire drains blood from a fat person.

"Maki, how goes our preparations?" Talia asked, drawing the younger woman's attention back to her.

"They are set Talia-sama" Maki said as she handed Talia her tablet "Security is set, our systems have been combed to make sure they are not harboring anyone but us and the men have been briefed on what to expect. I've also made doubly sure that the papers are ready as well as our contacts in the various media conglomerates from here to Star City"

"Excellent" Talia said with a pleased look on her face.

"What's this about?" Peter asked.

"I may be forced to entertain an uninvited guest or two later this evening and these preparations will make sure that it'll only be a one time occurrence for the duration of our stay here" Talia answered as she handed the tablet back to Maki who in turn bowed and backed away before departing, leaving Peter and Talia alone for the time being.

"Is this guest someone I should worry about?" Peter asked, a hint of protectiveness entering his tone.

"If all pans out well, no" Talia said with a smirk before it faltered as the image of a certain red helmed wearing vigilante crossed her mind "Though there is someone else that you may have to keep an eye out for. They aren't a threat per say but I'd prefer they not drop in unannounced"

"Who?" Peter asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"He's called the Red Hood" Talia revealed "He's... it's difficult to explain, but I feel he'll be a valuable ally against the likes of Black Mask and those that support him. He has a rather particular grudge against the criminal element of this city and will be invaluable in helping us undermine Black Mask so that I may install someone that's more... to my liking"

"And if he tires to hurt you? I can put him through a wall or two if you want. Or have Laura cut a hand off" Peter offered, causing Talia to chuckle.

"That won't be necessary. In fact, I'd prefer you try and refrain from harming him unless it's absolutely necessary. He's one of the people here that I wish aligned with us when I make my move against Cain's forces here" Talia stated.

"I'll keep that in mind" Peter said with a small nod, though inwardly he wasn't comfortable with the idea of someone like the Red Hood being close to Talia.

While Peter's been out of this life for over a decade, even he's heard of the Red Hood, a gun tottering vigilante with rumored connections to the League of Shadows that's been tearing through the Criminal Underworld for several years now, particularly in Gotham. But if Talia thinks that this guy will be useful, he supposed he could give him some leeway should they meet.

'But the moment he threatens Talia, I'm putting him through a wall' Peter thought darkly.

He could do worse, far, far worse, but it sounded like Talia needed this Red Hood guy alive and functional so Peter was willing to only leave him in mild pain, as a warning.

But he'll only get the one.

"Excellent" Talia said with a nod as she turned to leave "The tailors will be here in a hour to take your measurements"

"Huh?" Peter sounded with surprise as he watched Talia go "What do you mean?"

Talia stopped and looked back at Peter with a amused grin "For your suit"

"Suit, what suit?" Peter said with confusion "Like a tux?"

"Yes" Talia nodded "We'll be attending a black tie event tomorrow night where we'll to meet with someone that I feel may be a suitable replacement for Black Mask"

"We will?" Peter said with surprise, this was news to him.

Talia nodded again before she turned to leave "Yes, we shall. I do hope you remember how to waltz, Peter..."

Peter watched Talia go with a slight sway of her hips before he turned his attention back towards the cityscape and sighed at his reflection before he slammed his forehead against it "Please let their be good finger foods and tiny sandwiches there..."

It was the only things that ever made these parties worth it in his opinion.

...

Despite Talia's reasons for Gotham being the choice of her base of operations for the foreseeable future, she absolutely loathed the city with a passion.

It was dark, it was riddled with trash of all varieties, filled with more hypocrisy and lies than Talia dared to imagine, and was the very definition of a failure in her eyes. Add the fact that this cesspool of a city was something that her beloved had chosen over a life with her did little to help. Some days Talia wanted nothing more than to use every conceivable connection she had in the underworld to level this entire city and burn the ashes that were left for good measure.

But at the very heart of it tall, Talia hated how much this city reminded her of the Pit that she and Peter grew up in.

'This place is filled with the same evil and hopelessness that hell hole was' Talia thought as she settled into her room after meeting with a few more of her people in preparing for the inevitable encounter with the Batman.

She wasn't particularly worried, if all goes according to plan, than Bruce will be unable to risk moving against her and she knows that his 'children' will follow his lead.

'But Jason's another story entirely' Talia thought with a frown as she sat on her bed and began to remove her heels.

Jason didn't answer to Bruce, hell he could barely reign the younger vigilante in most of the time, and he was willing to go farther than Bruce or his allies ever would. Under normal circumstances Talia admired it, even found it amusing to a degree, but Jason's rouge nature and violent behavior could be a threat to her plans. She hoped he'll be open to reasoning when he eventually confronts her, she'd rather not have to hurt the boy.

'Wouldn't be the first time you've hurt another child' a dark voice hissed in the back of Talia's head that sounded suspiciously like her own when she was a child.

That voice had been coming more and more ever since Talia was forced to use one of her father's Lazarus Pits. At first she chalked it up to her mind simply being affected by the Pit's influence, it had a nasty history of driving men insane when they used it, her father even used what he did have very sparingly and only as a last resort if he could. But the Pits were gone, destroyed by Nyssa as she cut down her and Talia's father, to ensure that he could never come back again. There was undoubtedly still a few Pits left out there, undiscovered, but it's been far too long since Ra's had died and even a Lazarus Pit that's never been bathed in before may not be powerful enough to restore a body that's been dead that long.

With a sigh, Talia finished removing her heels and began the process of dressing down as she made her way to the bathroom, intent on soaking in a a warm bubbly bath for the next hour, perhaps with a glass of wine to sooth her mind. She'll need to be at her best in terms of awareness tonight.

'Wouldn't do to slip up when Bruce appears' Talia thought as she switched on her bath's faucets, selected the temperature and began to add the necessary oils and salts to make the bath enjoyable enough.

As Talia waited for the water to fill to the desired limit, she entertained the idea of asking Peter to join her before she crushed such thoughts. The time for playing was over, they were now at war and she couldn't risk Peter or herself being distracted by each other in such a manner.

'It'll be easier...' Talia thought sadly in the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind as she began to slip into the warm waters of her bath.

She didn't know what or why it would be easier... and she hoped she'd never find out.

...

And done.

Next chapter, Nightmares...