Months ago…
Spider-Man is busy web-slinging through a night city and talks to himself. He notices that there’s nothing out of the ordinary to be found tonight, just a guy below him, who’s running like a maniac through a side street of Manhattan. Peter figures that either the guy is running from something or to something. But still, middle of the night; running: not good.
Spidey notices another guy, who is chasing the first guy. And this guy using the guns. So, here Peter goes again with that whole “with great power must also come some idiot shooting at my head.” Spider-Man swings down to the leather-wearing shooter and kicks him down. The guy drops his guns, and Peter quickly sticks on a nearby wall. The shooter wants to pick up his guns, but Spidey quickly webs them stuck on the ground. The shooter groans, and calls Spidey an idiot.
Peter notices the other guy still running away and asks if he’s okay. The guy ignores Spidey and keeps running. The shooter wants to fight Spider-Man, but he quickly webs him up. He runs over some walls to run toward the running guy and wants to know what this was all about. The guy trips over, and Spidey jumps down nearby him. He asks the guy if he’s okay and if he needs to go to the hospital.
The guy turns his face around, changes it into that of a vampire and hisses at the web-slinger! The vampire quickly grabs Spidey’s neck, causing him to panic. The vampire is ready to bite Spidey into his neck, but suddenly, a sword gets stuck into his chest and the creature turns into dust!
Spidey looks amazed when he recognizes his rescuer as the shooter from before. The shooter grabs Spidey tightly by his neck, introducing himself as Blade. He also promises Spider-Man that, if he ever touches or looks at him again, he will eat his heart for breakfast! Holding his sword close to Spidey’s face, Blade believes he made his point. He releases Spidey and runs away. Catching his breath, Spidey tries to figure out where Blade ran to, but he’s already completely out of sight.
Today, the Daily Bugle…
Peter has found a picture on the Internet of himself as Spider-Man and Kitty hugging each other, from the time they were trapped on Krakoa Island. Kitty calls him, and Peter tells her that three million people have downloaded the Krakoa Island footage, and Kitty discovered that they are now labeled as a “hot item.” Peter read that Entertainment Weekly says that they are the “it” couple.
And yet, Kitty is grounded. Peter wants to know how that’s possible. Kitty shouts that the Professor wants her and all of the other X-Men to stay at the school and lay low until all this Krakoa stuff dies down. Storm, sitting on Kitty’s bed at her room at Xavier’s, asks her why she is shouting at Peter.
Peter thinks that this will blow over, as he’s yet to do the stupid thing he’s going to do today that will replace this embarrassment. Kitty thinks that this sucks, and asks Peter if he knows what else sucks. Peter thinks this means they can’t go out as a… Kitty doesn’t let Peter finish his sentence, shouting that they can’t go out on a date as a real couple! They have to keep sneaking around! Peter apologizes for this. Kitty suggests that Peter just tells the world that he’s Spider-Man already so they he can take her to a movie. Storm sarcastically points out with her fingers that was a smooth thing to say.
Peter mocks that he’ll write down what Kitty just said, promising he’ll do that right after lunch. Kitty hates this. Peter asks if they are okay. Kitty doesn’t understand. Peter is talking about okay, okay. Kitty fears that Peter is breaking up with him. Storm smiles that Kitty was yelling at him. Peter doesn’t want to do that. He promises. Kitty apologizes for yelling at him. She smiles that it was pretty cool that Peter came to her rescue at that hellhole called Krakoa. Peter smiles he indeed did that, because they are a hot item. They have to stay together, at least until the media takes their names and smushes them together and makes one name out of it.
Kitty can’t believe that they are a hot item, who have to stay all alone in their rooms. Peter corrects that he’s actually at work at the newspaper. Kitty finds it ironic that Peter gets to leave the house. Suddenly, Jameson shouts the word “vampires” behind Peter, busy discussing the topic with Ben Urich. Kitty heard it and asks what’s going on, but Peter apologizes, saying that he has to go.
Jameson, holding the paper Ben just wrote, wonders how an almost-award-winning journalist like Ben dares to hand him over a story about vampires. Ben defends that he’s just reporting the facts as they are, but Jameson finds it hard to believe that vampires are real. Ben states that they are living in a world with mutants, Spider-Men, Captain America frozen in a block of ice for decades, Tony Stark is a human tank, so he finds it surprising that Jameson doesn’t believe in vampires. Jameson refuses to print the story. He ends the discussion and leaves a disappointed Ben behind.
Peter comes out of his cubic hole, and asks Ben if he really saw a vampire. Ben jokes that, if he saw one by himself, it would be a headline. Robbie agrees with that, finding the story flimsy now. Ben explains that the girl said she was bit by a vampire. Robbie stays with his statement. Ben goads that print media is dead anyhow. Robbie tells Ben he just needs to find more evidence, as it’s just half a story now. Ben doesn’t like that. Peter asks if he can read it, which is fine by Ben, who hands Peter his story, calling it crap.
Peter reads the article headline, “Interview of Jennifer Grünwald, by Ben Urich, Investigative Reporter.” The story begins. Every day, it seems modern society reveals myth to be fact and what the world thought to be fact, to be myth. That is what 21-year-old Jennifer Grünwald discovered three days ago. That myth may very well be fact. Jennifer works at the New York Public Library in the foreign literature department. She is fluent in French and Spanish.
She is used to communicating with people from all over the world. The man she met this morning at the Library was at first nothing special. Just another American immigrant who may be hitting on her in a language she doesn’t understand. The feeling, Jennifer recalls, that followed was a different story. She recalls a hazy “drug-like” feeling washing over her. The stranger’s voice is now in her head, talking English.
Jennifer told Ben: “I can’t remember exactly what this man said, other than I was overwhelmed with a feeling to follow him outside. And I did. I thought maybe I was drugged or something, but I wasn’t. I hadn’t had a drink or even lunch yet. I vaguely remember being in the back alley across the street from the library. I remember him whispering to my ear but I don’t remember what he said. And I don’t remember anything after that.”
In truth, while in the alley, the vampire-man moved his body close to that of Jennifer’s and bit her passionately in her neck!
The story goes on. Jennifer woke up that night, in her own bed in her own home, confused and disoriented. Ben visited the girl at home, with the housekeeper letting him in. This woman told Jennifer that Ben was the man she was telling her about, the reporter from the Daily Bugle, who wants to hear what happened to her. Ben noticed that Jennifer had not been violated in any way, except for the marks on her neck.
Ben saw two small circular marks on the bottom of the left side of Jennifer’s neck. Wounds that were a day old, already healed as if they happened weeks ago. Scared to return to work, scared to go to the police, Jennifer realizes that what she thinks happened to her makes her a target for ridicule. Even though there is physical evidence to support her claims, Jennifer is scared. Jennifer told Ben that she knows it sounds insane and she doesn’t know exactly what happened to her. It may just have been a maniac playing a creepy dress-up fantasy fetish thing. But maybe it really was… a vampire.
But what’s to say is that there are no vampires. There’s Spider-Men and mutants with angel wings. She thinks that maybe vampires are real now, too. Something happened to her. She just wants to understand it.
Later, after school…
Peter walks home alone, but notices Mary Jane sitting on a bench, doing her homework, alone as well. Peter says hi to her, with MJ being speechless. Peter jokes about it, but MJ doesn’t want to go through that today. He doesn’t understand. MJ angrily shows Peter a magazine, which holds exclusive photos about him and Kitty hugging each other!
Peter is a bit surprised. MJ wonders how much of this she is supposed to take. Peter thinks this is nuts and asks if he can explain himself. MJ tells Peter he can explain why he so badly had to break up with her because “no one is safe” with him. because his life as Spider-Man dooms him to eternal loneliness. Yet, two weeks later, she finds him dating “gangly-girl.” Peter defends he can explain. Kitty has mutant powers. She can defend herself. In fact, she has the power to phase through things.
MJ wants to know what that means. Calmly, Peter responds it means Kitty can’t get hurt. MJ isn’t sure what to say about that, before adding in that case, Kitty is perfect for Peter. Peter tries to say something, but MJ interrupts, asking Peter if he loves Kitty. Peter doesn’t. Not yet. MJ believes that Peter is working on that.
She can’t believe this. Peter tells MJ to listen to him. Kitty called him up and asked him out, and they have a lot in common. He states that this whole thing with the magazine and TV, all it is, he was trying to help Kitty out of a jam, all of the X-Men by the way, as they have helped him out in the past. He didn’t know he was going to be on TV with Kitty and all of this would happen. It’s bizarre! He still has the scrummy media hanging around school looking for Spider-Man and now this. It’s all too close, and he doesn’t like it.
Mary Jane, ashamed, tells Peter that he wears the costume. Peter doesn’t know what to say. MJ tells Peter to talk to her hand. Kitty promises that this wasn’t the plan. MJ wants to know if Peter knew Kitty when they were dating. Peter confirms that. MJ wants to know what she is supposed to do: to just deal with this? Be Peter’s friend? Peter hopes that will happen, eventually, yes! After all, Mary Jane is his best friend. MJ gets up, packs her books, and corrects Peter that he isn’t her best friend. She starts to walk home, with Peter telling her that perhaps she should find someone too.
MJ starts to cry, asking Peter if he’s ready to see her making out with one of the guys on the team? If he’s ready to see him all over some guy? She wonders if that’s what Peter really wants. She asks if him he closes his eyes and tries to imagine a happy life for himself, is that what he sees? She promises that Peter is not her best friend. She’s mad at him. She doesn’t want to talk to Peter, as she hates this. Peter tells MJ that she is his friend and always will be. MJ isn’t amused much, and takes off, leaving Peter alone. Peter, talking to himself, wanted to tell MJ to watch out for vampires.
Elsewhere, apartment 416…
Ben knocks on the door, and a female voice asks who it is. Ben introduces himself, explaining that he wanted to talk to Jennifer a little more, adding that his editor, as he predicted, has some reservations about the story. The door opens and Ben walks through it, and is stunned to find Jennifer all well, wearing a full leather outfit and a newly found sense of complete confidence! With a seductive smile on her face, Jennifer welcomes Ben.
The two look at each other for a little while, and suddenly, they kiss! Jennifer suddenly stops, begging someone to let her do this because she is so hungry. A voice allows her to eat. Jennifer transforms her face into that of a vampire, and bites Ben into his neck!
The Daily Bugle…
Peter hears someone of the staff talking to the police, who are asking about the last time anyone heard from Mr. Urich. A man claims that Ben was still at the Bugle about 6:30 last night. They have security cards and can give the officers the exact minute Ben checked out.
When Peter asks her what happened, Betty smiles that Urich didn’t come home last night and has been missing for a day. She’s willing to bet ten bucks that says Wilson Fisk tossed Ben in the river. Peter is shocked to hear that. He goes back to his cubic, checks his backpack and notices Ben’s story on his desk. Peter looks at it, and reads the story title again: “Interview of Jennifer Grünwald, by Ben Urich, Investigative Reporter.”
Later…
Spider-Man web-slings through the city at night. He believes that this is so his fault. He wanted to tell Ben, “Dude, I saw a vampire once.” He imagines that Ben would say to him, “When did you see a vampire?” And Peter would say: “When I was swinging around as Spider-Man. Oops. But don’t tell anyone that part.”
Peter was dying to tell Urich this, just to tell him he was on the right track. He states that Ben Urich is the real deal, and wouldn’t think he’d end up missing. And quite frankly, Peter wasn’t even sure about what he saw. It was months ago and it was crazy. But every day’s been some kind of crazy. He means: vampires? He looked up this Jennifer person’s address in Brooklyn, and Peter makes it there. He finds the building and it’s apartment 6C but from the outside it’s hard to tell which one is 6C. He has no idea which window it could be.
Suddenly, a werewolf gets tossed through a window! The werewolf transforms itself into lots of bats, flies back inside the window, and once back inside the apartment transforms back into its werewolf form! A stunned Spider-Man follows the creature, and is even more shocked to find an unconscious Ben, being held by Jennifer. Peter hears Jennifer shouting to someone that Ben is hers. Peter attacks Jennifer, but quickly gets smacked on the head himself by the werewolf!
The werewolf growls that Spider-Man interferes, but Spider-Man quickly kicks the werewolf off of him, to the back of the wall. Jennifer panics, but the werewolf quickly gets up again, ready to kill Peter and tells he has to die. An arm pulls Spidey into safety, and another vampire, wearing a black/red leather outfit and a cape, tells Spidey he cannot win this fight.
