1964-08-21 - We All Have Secrets
Summary: Cassie and Gwen find out each other's secrets
Related: None
Theme Song: None
gwen-stacy cassie-lang 


It has been a few days since the funeral. Amazingly, the world still turns and life goes on. Gwen has, for the most part, buried her father in more ways than one, and has begun the process of picking up the pieces and continuing on. Various officers stop by with well-wishes and offers to help, and she is slowly getting used to the emptiness of the house. She still sleeps in her room, though. She can't bring herself to move into the master bedroom. That still belongs to her father.

She has cancelled the fall semester, which was easy to do for community college, and they even had the decency to refund the money. Right now, Gwen is sitting on the porch, thinking how nice the day is…and wishing her father was there to share it with her.


Cassie Lang had been nervous. She left Capt. Stacy's wake, feeling both nervous and awkward. She still has no idea why she felt so odd. She's not a social introvert, hell, she's done some modeling here and there. There's no reason to feel so awkward lately. She hadn't called Gwen, giving her time to be herself. She decides to take in a jog today, wearing a pair of culottes and a pale blouse, the hem tied into a knot at her flat stomach. She realizes a bit too late that she was passing by Gwen's house. She notices the blonde sitting on the porch and slows to a stop. "Oh… Hey Gwen." She says, giving a wave.


Gwen looks up and spots Cassie, a ghost of a smile brightening her face. "Oh…hey, Cassie." She waves. "I sent your family a thank-you note for coming by. It really meant a lot to me to see you there."


Cassie Lang smiles and walks over to the steps that lead to the porch. "Oh, no problem. I just wish I could've been more help to you. I'm glad you had your friends there for you, though." Her long blonde hair is held in a ponytail high on the back of her head. "So… what are you doing next?" She asks, not trying to dwell on the past but to look forward to a hopeful future.


Gwen sighs to Cassie. "I took the fall semester off. There were a lot of things to do, and I need the time. I…" She snffles. "…the police have been so supportive. Apparently Dad made sure his pension would support me. I'm 18, so I am legally an adult. And…" she looks up to Cassie. "…I want to find my voice. With the band. As well as…other things." She smiles. "I want Dad to be proud of me."


Cassie Lang nods and smiles. "As long as you're doing what makes you happy, he'll be proud of you. He was already proud of you, even if he didn't get the chance to tell you." She swallows nervously. "I… kinda know Dads… well, kinda." She shrugs. "I've got two of them now, so.." She stops stammering and changes the subject. "So.. you're really gonna do this? With Mary Jane? Have you heard from anyone else who might be interested?" She takes the conversation as tacit permission to join the girl on the porch, so she walks up the stairs and heads closer to where Gwen sits.


Gwen Stacy looks around. "Listen, it's cooler inside. Want to share a Coke with me?" She stands up quickly. She must be going to the gym, definitely, if the glimpse of her under the t-shirt is any indication. So much ffor "Stick-Figure" Stacy.


Cassie Lang nods. "Sure." She says, noticing the girl's physique but not saying anything, blushing slightly as she follows her inside the house.


The house is conspicuously clean. Even with her father gone, she is still adhering to the strict cleaning schedule. Or cleaning keeps her distracted.
She opens two bottles of Coke from the fridge, handing one to Cassie. "Here you go." She smiles warmly. "It means a lot, you coming here. After high school, most of my 'friends' don't come around much. The world has become…strange. I wake up, expect to smell coffee from downstairs. I think, sometimes, he is here in the house, and then I remember and the world seems a little darker." She points to the desk in one corner, a squat thing with a lot of drawers. "I've been laying out my thoughts, and it's strange…I think of music, and the thoughts become lyrics. It's all rough stuff, but…" she gestures to the papers as she sits on the couch.


Cassie Lang nods, taking the offered bottle and giving a soft 'Thanks'. She follows Gwen to the living room and takes a seat on the other end of the couch. "I can't say that I know how you feel, but I can sympathize. I have Blake, but I haven't seen my real father in years. Again, I know it's not even close to being the same." She says, trying not to upset the girl. "And your 'friends' just feel awkward. Everyone has the same things that you tell someone in your situation, but once those platitudes are gone, what else can you do for that person? I just think they don't know what to do." She shrugs. "And you're keeping your mind busy. You're keeping the house clean, trying to be an adult. You're writing your songs, and even if they are rough, it's how you feel right now and there's no reason to sugar-coat it. And you're working out, so you're keeping yourself healthy." She takes a sip of the soda.


Gwen looks puzzled for a moment. "Working…oh, yes, right. Something I picked up during the summer.:
Along with a revulsion towards barbeque.
"Listen, Cassie…I want to thank you. I don't know if you want to get involved in the band to any degree, but I could use a friend." She laughs uncertainly. "Actually, I could use all the friends I can get. MJ is a front-runner, and I can play drums, but it you have any skills you want to throw into the mix…"
She lifts the bottle and gulps, her neck muscles working as she swallows, the level of the bottle going down by half before she comes up for air. "Sorry…sweet tooth, and more thirsty than I thought."


Cassie Lang smiles. "I'm your friend. That's not going to change. I don't think I have any talent that I can lend to your group other than listening and offering advice." She smiles, watching Gwen drink. "Wow.." She blushes and squashes a possible comment. "I guess you are thirsty. Are you alright?"


Gwen looked to Cassie. "Listen…can I ask your opinion of something? Totally apropos of nothing, but…" She paused. "Listen, what is your opinion of the vigilantes who fight crime in costume? Be honest…"


Cassie Lang blinks quickly, not knowing where that came from. "Well… I have a skewed view of what's right and wrong. My.." She swallows, not sure about how much of her history is known. "My father… my real father… he's in prison. He robbed some research lab. He was trying to help… well… fix me. And somehow he did… but now he's in jail because he did something bad for a very good reason." She swallows. "I think… that if you have the ability to stop something bad from happening… and you don't? Then you're just as guilty as the person doing the bad thing. Does.. that make sense?" She does get nervous, getting a bit shorter, her clothes growing a little looser. She clears her throat, looking around, trying to stop herself from getting much smaller. "Why? Do you know… somebody?"


Gwen looks at Cassie. "I…what you just said, it reminded me of what Edmund Burke said, about how evil flourishes when good men do nothing. I…"
Gwen blinks. "Cassie…you are getting SMALLER."


Cassie Lang nods. "I mean, we've seen whole slews of examples of people standing by while evil men do their thing. We literally just finished a couple wars that were all about this." She shrugs. "I can't talk much about the current one." When Gwen notices, dangit, she blushes and shakes her head. "Nope! No, not me.. not at all." In an effort to go back to normal size quickly, she overdoes it, her clothes becoming tighter as she grows taller. There's even a faint sound of a rip somewhere. "Oh bother.." She says with a sigh. "But, why do you ask that?" She says, trying to take the attention off of her.


Gwen blinkblinks. "Holy cow. I…uhm…" she looks down, trying to collect herself. This was not going how she thought it would, by any means.
But it could also be an opportunity.
"Well…wow. Wait, I'm sorry…I should tell you. Or…maybe I should show you."
She stands up, then closes the curtains for every window, shrouding the room in muted dusk. She checked to make sure none were open, before taking a deep breath.
In a way, it was strangely liberating.
She walked over to the wall near the door, pressed her fingertips against the wall, and began to climb up the wall, without handholds of any kind, pressing the toes of her feet against the wall as she left the floor.
She moved from the wall up to the ceiling, then crawled ALONG the ceiling back towards Cassie, her golden hair spilling downward as it obeys gravity.


Cassie Lang blinks as she watches Gwen, slowly going back to her normal size before trying to figure out exactly where her clothes had ripped. "Oh… my…" She swallows, a bit less nervous now. "That's.. hot… Boss! I mean, that's pretty boss." She smiles, then.. "Wait! Are YOU Spider-Man? I mean… because you're not exactly of the male-looking but…" She's confused and excited. "I.. You… How?"


A little flush goes through Gwen at Cassie's words. She drops from the ceiling, spinning in midair to land gracefully on her feet, a moving of the entire body that is harmonious and smooth.
She brushes the hair out of her eyes, smiling wryly. "Me? No, I'm not Spider-Man. In fact, I'm not Spider-Woman, or Black Widow." She sighs. "Yeah, those names were taken. So…I'm calling myself the White Widow." She looks around. "I even had a different costume made."


Cassie Lang blinks again. "Costumes? Names?" She'd only head of Spider-Man because of the sensational stories in the Daily Bugle. "I.. didn't know there were so many." She nods, watching. "That's so cool. I.. All I can do is grow and shrink.. and even then I don't really know how.. and I'm limited due to.. well.. my clothes staying the same size."


Gwen nods thoughtfully. "Yeah, that does sound like a pickle. You would want something that grew or shrank with you." She takes a breath. "Do you…want to see the costume?"


Cassie Lang smiles and nods. "S…sure.. I mean, as long as you don't mind… And don't worry.. I won't say a thing. Just… be careful out there." She retakes her seat once she goes back to her normal size.


Gwen chuckles. She stands up and takes off her jacket, then unbuckles her jeans. She steps out of her boots, revealing thin blue slippers underneath. She pulls off her shirt to reveal the skintight costume underneath, albeit with shortened sleeves. She slips out two long gloves from the jacket, pulling them on quickly and smooths them out to fit seamlessly with the bodysuit. She takes out the balaclava mask from the same pocket, pulling it on before pulling up the hood.

And all in about 30 seconds.

"What do you think?"


Cassie Lang blinks. "Wow… That's… amazing. Have you… gone out and done anything yet?" She blushes at basically watch Gwen strip but seeing as nothing was really taken away, it's not a big deal. "I mean, are you new to this? You've done a good job keeping the attention off of you."


Gwen…er, Widow…nods. "I have only had these powers for a month. I was going out with a costume I kludged together from a dance outfit, learning how to do what I can do without anyone knowing who I was. I actually started fighting crime almost two weeks ago. One week with the new costume. I've been sticking to street crime more than anything else."


Cassie Lang nods. "Good. I mean, I don't know all of what you can do, but I think it's a good idea to keep it small. I mean.." she shrugs, blushing. "I don't want you getting hurt or anything." SHe stands. "Do… all your friends know?" She decides not to ask if her friends are vigilantes to… That's not Gwen's secret to share.


Gwen Stacy shakes her head, pulling her mask off again. "No…you, and another person. The one who designed the costume knew, but…she left. Left the planet, actually. Some sort of galactic police recruit."


Cassie Lang blinks again, her mind blown. "Planet? As in.. alien? Wow… You really are on a whole new level.." She smiles. "I'm.. honored… and as I said before, I won't say a word. I can understand the danger that you're putting yourself in." She refrains from mentioning the police at all.


Gwen smiles. "The reason I'm telling you now is that I think we are in the same boat. Having our own secrets, wanting to do the right thing…but isolated by these powers we have. But…I think we can help each other."


Cassie Lang tilts her head, confused. "Um.. Again, all I can do is shrink and get bigger. All I've been doing is just try to keep myself living a normal life. I haven't even thought about doing what you do." She looks. "How.. How could I help you?"


Gwen chuckles. "I think…that is what we should find out. But…" she takes a step closer to Cassie. "I'm willing to get inventive. It's how I figured out some of the things I can do. I think two heads are better than one. Maybe even three, if you want to tell the other person I know. But we can keep this between us…" She smiles gently. "And we can sort this out together."


Cassie Lang blushes and nods. "Sh..sure.. I mean, I was always curious… and I need to be able to control it, so I don't going doing *this* out in public." She smiles, ecstatic. "I'd like to keep it between us for now. I don't know who your other friend is just yet, and that's ok."


Gwen nods. "I think she would be against be bandying her name to you as much as you would be against me bandying your name to her." She looks thoughtful. "Do you get stronger when you are…taller?"


Cassie Lang shrugs? "Possibly? I don't really know. It's kinda hard to stay hidden when you're the size of a skyscraper doing your best blonde King Kong impression… I mean, that's how I always felt like I'd be discovered.. I do know that I can fill my room. I'd show you, but…" She blushes profusely at the thought.


Gwen snaps her fingers. She goes to the desk, pulling out a grip tester, the kind that looks like an A with the line between the arches missing. "Okay. Let's try this. I'm not too sure about my strength, so let's try this. Take off your clothes."


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