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A witch with this power may either fully transform themselves into a spider, or, with enough control, may call upon their power(s) in a partially shifted form by mimicking the arachnid's abilities.

Val has loved her power from the moment she first understood what it really was, what it meant. She is most at home when she is one with her power. Though she has the ability to shift into any kind of spider, Valentina normally keeps to her chosen form, that of a stunningly elegant black widow. It is as the black widow that her power is at its strongest. As a black widow, she can be more than a little dangerous, despite her small size. Her venom is potent: sometimes deadly, but always painful should she resort to using it. Additionally, she is a very agile spider, a web weaver that has been known to mock the childhood book 'Charlotte's Web' by scaring her witch friends and family with cryptic messages in various places.

The ability to shift into her spider form also gives her considerable added reflexes and senses, a lightning speed that aids her agility, and the ability to literally be the proverbial 'fly on the wall,' when she needs to be. She is able to scale walls and move silently when needed as well.

Though her power's strength is heightened during complete transformation, Val often keeps a part of her (usually some internal organ structure) shifted. She embraces her power so much that she prefers to maintain that predatory instinct - especially given her profession. Though she has used certain external parts such as her eyes or her spider's fangs in a partially shifted form, she mainly stays on the less obvious side of things by taking advantage of her endurance, balance, reflexes, vision, and ability to sense danger.

In order to maintain control of her power, Val needs to be fully shifted several times a week. She also needs to be mindful of when those times are, as shifting took quickly, too frequently, will drain her energy that much faster. Likewise, shifting into any other spider form is a bit like putting on rollerblades when you're still wobbly on rollerskates - she can do it, but it drains her, and because she has not mastered any other species of spider, she really can't utilize their unique abilities in anything but her full form.

If she uses her powers too much outside of her fully transformed form, she has been known to get headaches and migraines, and may become weakened if she tries to do too much at once. There are certain aspects of her power, for instance, that would be considerably harder for her to maintain while partially shifted, the ability to climb walls for example.

Perhaps her greatest disadvantage is that as a black widow spider, her form is small and easily crushed should she get herself entangled into that kind of dangerous situation. If injured while fully transformed, she is able to transform back to her human form. However, if she is crushed in her spider form, it could prove fatal to her without the help of a witch with powers over death.

Catherine and Lucian Montgomery already had one perfect son when they found out they would be adding to their little family. If their news wasn't exciting enough on its own, they were delighted to learn that they would be having twins, two twin girls. Valentina's twin, Laurel Evelyn was born minutes before Valentina made her own appearance, and it was with the birth of both girls that the Montgomery family was completed .. at least until their youngest daughter was born years later.

As a child, Valentina was outgoing and exuberant, charming both teachers and classmates alike. She enjoyed having attention lavished upon her, though she equally enjoyed standing back on occasion and merely observing. She was intelligent and kind, quick to stand up for those she deemed worthy. At home, she was a delightful student in terms of magic, and ever faithful to the most important person in her life: Laurel.

Val was eight years old when her power manifested during a physical education class at her elementary school. Thankfully, her first experience with her power was not a full transformation, but rather a glimpse into what her future power would be: she recognized the sharpening of her vision as she looked at the kids on the team that was playing against hers, experiencing a level of concentration that went beyond mere observance. As if that wasn't enough, Val found herself puzzled as her hands seemed to stick against any surface they landed on, earning some embarrassment for her when she needed to throw the ball back to the teacher at the end of the class. Needless to say, Val was both curious and confused, feelings that increased further as little things began clicking into place. It wasn't until she got home and explained everything to her parents and siblings that they realized what the emergence of her power meant.

For the next several years, Valentina learned to control her power with a will and determination that made everything seem almost effortless. This total devotion to magic meant that being the center of attention took a less important role in her life. Indeed, as Val learned the various aspects of her power, though she remained outwardly friendly and charismatic, she couldn't help but feel a bit detached. Where her sister became known for her charm, but equally dazzling bouts of temper, very few people could spark Val's own wrath. It wasn't that she had lost her charm, for she managed to command quite the loyal following of friends (especially those who had been there from the beginning). She simply refused to let people get under her skin, a mentality that was enhanced by the fact that she kept some part of her shifted most of the time.

Though she dated, she found casual 'relationships' to be more fulfilling. Throughout high school and college, she and her twin were the beauties of the schools, and for Val, that meant being at the top of the totem pole (so to speak). She once again thrived on being social, even if she tended to see the people around her more from a predatory point of view. Ambitious as she was beautiful, Valentina worked hard enough to ensure she would gain admittance to a top college, and then law school. Her sister, she knew, had ambitions of her own, and it seemed only right that their career aspirations could almost have gone hand in hand. Each wanted to be at the top of their field, but there was never competition between them. Val always supported her sister, and vice versa.

Upon graduating from law school at the top of her class, Valentina began to work her way through the ranks of the Essex County District Attorney's office. It had been there that she had interned for several summers, and there where she worked hard to make a name for herself. After establishing a successful career as an attorney in the office, Val has recently taken a position as a Superior Court ADA, though she has assisted on cases in the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption unit as well.

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