Title: A Helping Hand

Rating: K, for some language!

Summary: Peter finds himself in deep trouble when he tries to stop a bank heist and winds up seriously injured. He needs medical attention, but since everyone watched Spidey get hurt on TV he has no where to go. Help comes in the most unlikely places…Slightly AU Post SM2

Author Note: Slightly AU. Everything happened from the second movie, minus one thing. Mary-Jane and Harry still do not know the identity of Spiderman. Before Harry could get the mask off, Peter escaped and found Ock and Mary-Jane on his own.

A Helping Hand

Chapter 1- The News Report

Mary-Jane Watson drummed her fingers against the table; she had been sitting in this tiny restaurant for 30 minutes now. Her soft features were wrinkled into a bored frown as she studied her now cold cappuccino. Peter had promised to meet her here at 8pm, but so far there had been no sign of him.

They needed to talk, but had not had the chance since that crazy scientist had kidnapped her. She had run out on her wedding, realizing at the last second that she could not marry her fiancé, she loved Pete and that was that. After running down the streets of New York in her wedding gown, she had arrived at Peter's apartment door, only to find that he had not been home.

She left him a brief note explaining what she had done, and to call her as soon as possible, before slipping it under the door and leaving. He called her the next day, and that is how she ended up here. Took two weeks for him to finally settle a time and he's late…again! She thought annoyingly, brushing a piece of her hair from her eyes.

There was suddenly a small commotion at the bar. Mary-Jane tossed her red hair over her shoulder as she turned her head to investigate. The men at the bar were clamoring over a small TV erected in the comer. The young actress rolled her eyes and smiled at the males, assuming that there was some sporting event they were getting excited about. But as she continued to drum her fingers, she picked up on what the commentator was saying. The voice coming from the TV was excited but held a hint of fear and business like tone. That doesn't sound like the usual joking and excitement of a sports commentator, she thought.

Curiosity got the best of Mary-Jane and she headed towards the other end of the bar, where another TV was erected that was showing the same channel. She sat down in the stool and found herself watching a news reporter, the mans hair was disheveled, obviously from him running his fingers through it.

Beneath the reporter was a heading that read, LIVE: BANK ROBBERY, HOSTAGES TAKEN!

Mary-Jane gripped the edges of her stool tightly as she listened to what the man had to say. She recognized the bank; in fact, it was only 3 blocks away from Peter's apartment, and she seemed to remember him saying something about dropping off a cheque on his way over.

"It seems that the notorious Spiderman is already inside. Hostage negotiators and police alike are worried that this may only aggravate the two men, who may shoot people in response-"

The man was cut off as the bank doors flew open with a bang. A group of people were seen running outside, some of them crying.

"The hostages! The robbers must of set them free...but wait…there's one missing. Where the hell is Spiderman anyway?"

His question was answered as a gun was fired and a window shattered open, Spiderman flew out of it seconds later, landing in front of the bank doors, a young girl in his arms. His suit had a few cuts on it, but nothing that looked too serious.

Mary-Jane felt her pulse quicken, something was going to happen. This wasn't over yet. Where was Peter anyway? She had first thought that he maybe had been caught in the bank when the robbers had come in, explaining why he was so late, but he had not come out with the hostages…and they were all accounted for…

The woman glanced at the clock again; it was now 8:45. Where the hell are you, Peter? She thought, no longer angry but anxious for the photographer. She thought about phoning him again, but the TV kept drawing her to watch what was going on.

Spiderman had set the child down, and watched as she ran towards the police and safety. She had almost made it to safety when the shooters burst from the bank and into the open. They were dressed in black and wore helmets, obviously prepared for a gunfight.

One aimed his gun at the little girl, looking through the scope on his rifle. He was just about to squeeze the trigger and open fire on the 8 year olds back when his scope was blocked by the colour red. He looked up just in time to see Spiderman before his gun was ripped from his hands and he was thrown backwards.

Mary-Jane watched in amazement as the man flew in the air and landed in a crumpled heap. The camera had zoomed past the reporter so that viewers could see what was happening, although the disheveled reporter could be heard yelling and cursing in the background.

Spiderman turned quickly, and shot a string of webbing upward as the other man opened fire. A bullet cracked the brick building, where the man in red and blue had been half a second before.

Mary-Jane watched with wide eyes as Spiderman shot downwards again, the man had given up and decided to open fire on the innocent bystanders that crowded around the police and SWAT team. The man just barely ducked out of the way as Spiderman's foot swung past his head.

People were screaming, but none of them seemed to be moving away from the danger, too entranced by the sight. The police had their weapons aimed, but feared shooting in case they hit their hero. It seemed that not one of them believed the lies the Daily Bugle printed, at least, not after what they had just seen.

Then the unthinkable happened, something that no one had ever thought possible. Spiderman had landed and had rushed back towards the convict; the man turned his gun and opened fire again. The arachnid dodged the first few, and was only feet from his target before it happened. The man, in one last desperate attempt, aimed and shot once more, and this time, it hit Spiderman dead in the chest.

"Oh my fucking god! He shot him! SPIDERMAN WAS SHOT! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!" Mary-Jane heard the reporter yell, all of his professionalism lost in the moment.

The red heads hands flew to her mouth in horror. She watched as the shooter took a tentative step towards the wall crawler and aimed his gun at his head. The still form that lay on the ground made no move to stop him. A shot rang out, but it was not from the mans gun, for he crumpled to the ground beside the hero and did not get back up.

The camera moved upwards, and the tiny dot of a sniper could be made out, before it swung back to the red and blue figure on the ground.

"It seems…it seems as if one of the snipers got a clear shot…" The reporter said, his voice shook with shock.

A group of people rushed towards the figure of Spiderman, but as they got close, the injured man forced one of his arms up and shot a web onto the highest building it could stretch, and shot upwards, much slower than usual. He was out of sight within a minute, leaving only a pool of blood on the pavement to prove that he had ever been there.

Mary-Jane stumbled off of the stool, and grabbed her purse. She ran out of the restaurant, abandoning her unpaid coffee. Not that it mattered; the bar tender and its patrons were still engrossed in what the news reporter was now saying.

The red head tore down the street, thanking god that she had decided on jeans and running shoes today. She sprinted through the streets of New York, not entirely sure why she was running 5 blocks to Peter Parkers apartment, but somehow knowing that that's where she would find Spiderman.

TBC

I can't think of a better title; usually one just pops into my head but none thus far. Drop by a review; this is my first Spiderman fic! I have 12 pages of this written...and this only 3!9 more pages to post if you're interested in reading it ... ;)

¤ Ashley ¤