Spider-Man Face It Tiger You Just Hit The Jackpots 2: Timeless Love
Part 1: The Edge of Time
For years I've wanted to write a story where Peter and MJ ended up with one another right away bypassing Gwen I did this on a smaller scale than I wanted in detailing the past of one of the MJ's in the first Jackpots story. In this one with the help of Madame Web Mary Jane from an alternate version of Edge Of Time goes back in time to "fix" Peter's past to prevent his untimely death. This is technically a spin off and not a sequel to the first story but I call it a second story because it stars Mary Janes as opposed to Felicias or a diverse harem. Originally I thought I'd stick close to continuity and tweak things here and there but the story's almost fully outlined and we are going to see a signficant butterfly effect. What lies in store will put every Doctor Who writer to shame. This roughly 15 chapter story will matter a lot more than I initially thought in terms of how my various stories will crossover in their shared conclusion. Enjoy.
Marvel 2114
As Madame Web visited countless members of a vast but ever diminishing collection of worlds in search for her counterparts there were bound to be ones that didn't pan out either sometimes she was able to foresee that a counterpart would decline her offer or that she'd encounter the Inheritors or other risk and skip a world as a result other times her view was more dim. There was little time to waste when trying to avert the end of everything but even so she was able to perform a few acts of charity along the way for those she couldn't bring. This is one of those stories.
In the 2114 universe events were unfolding exactly like the world of the Edge of Time videogame with one crucial difference Mary Jane got lost after Miguel saved her. It was understandable given the vast highly dangerous labyrinth that Alchemax was. As it turned out she found herself at the entrance of the portal room just as her husband was battling The Atrocity. Peter saw her just as he was ripping one of the elephant sized, portal generating symbiote monsters mechanical tentacles off.
"MJ get out of here!"
Peter's momentary distraction was sufficient for him to be grabbed and slammed into the ground a couple times by one of the remaining tentacles. Mary Jane watched as her husband fought bravely wanted to run but she couldn't leave the sight somehow she knew what was going to unfold. A portal appeared behind MJ as she finally started turning around to leave. One of the remaining tentacles emerged from the portal and grabbed her pulling her through and out the other end a couple feet above the monster. Peter was able to create a web cushion for her fall but in doing so left himself vulnerable to a punch from Atrocity's massive arm slamming him into the metal wall. Mary Jane slowly got out from the web cushion as the monster slowly approached the exhausted hero and stomped on him with his enormous foot. It was about to do so again when it was hit in thr head by a small object.
"Leave him alone!" Mary Jane said half furious, half pleading having tossed her shoe.
The monster turned and slowly lumbered towards her. MJ backed away trying to figure out whether she'd try to reason with the creature or share some last words with her husband when to the side of the creature she saw another portal open. Out of it emerged a female figure dressed in red that looked startlingly similar to her if a bit older. torpedoing into Atrocity with a web catapult the woman followed up with an array of acrobatic fightng that while slightly slower than Spider-Man showed more refinement and anticipation of the enemy.
Peter slowly regained his senses and tried to move his body it was little used many of his bones were crushed and his spine damaged he was paralyzed. He watched as Mary Jane slowly approached weaving between the ongoing battle. She was everything to him he knew at this point it was up to Miguel to fix the timeline and he had little that he could do but there was one heroic act left one loving deed for her and this stranger before the end of Spider-Man.
MJ finally reached him and lowered herself down to his level he tried to take in her heavenly scent one last time but the mask had other ideas.
"You really took a beating. Can you get up?"
"Can't I... I can't move."
"I'll pick you up." she started to lift him to his feet and supported him as she started walking away.
"Mary Jane no you can't do this I'll slow you down they'll..."
"After all these years through all the trials we've gone through I'm not leaving you now. I made a vow in sickness and in health for richer or poorer for as long as we live I'm with you to the end of the line even if we both die isn't it time someone saved you for a change."
"All these years you were the one good thing that's happened to me since Ben died what did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Peter not this... not now..."
Atroctity cut off their path as it took a step back fighting Madame Web. Web had removed the rest of it's tentacles but the creature was still able to land a solid hit briefly incapacitating her. Atrocity then seemed to turn it's attention back to them. Seeing the situation Peter responded the only way he could.
"MJ forgive me."
He used his arms to push his wife out of the way and fired two weblines one at an electrical generator the other at Atrocity. The shock slowed and weakened the monster frying a lot of the symbiotic substance off of it but the thing was to well insulated to die. It did however provide Madame Web the chance to deliver a flurry of blows that forced Atrocity into the timestorm. As her counterpart finished the fight Mary Jane scrambled back to Peter's crushed, exhausted and electrocuted dying body.
"It's over we're going to get you help."
"No it's over and I wouldn't want to go out any other way to give you another chance to give you your life that's the best victory I could claim. We didn't get to do everything we wanted, Aunt May's no longer with us and Norman took our child but it was good... while it... lasted. Mary Jane I love you and I..."
"Peter don't do this to me not now." but it was useless he was dead. Mary Jane had prepared for this for the inevitable outcome the pain all of it she had known exactly what she had signed up for and what could happen any day but it wasn't enough especially as the timeline began to fix itself. Because of the chronal genetic link between Peter and Miguel there was a real time link between the two at there different points in history and Peter died the link severing at the exact moment connectionwise that Miguel defeated Peter's evil possible future self tossing him and all the particles into the vortex. The timing was such that the timeline was restored to it's proper order but Peter remained dead. As MJ sat crying over his body memories of the original timeline came flooding back to her. Peter was 34 and MJ 33 at the moment. Everything through Back In Black had proceeded exactly the same but when Mephisto came with his offer the couple had declined. Two years had passed since Aunt May died Peter had sought help in restoring his secret identity and it came in the form of a techno magic spell that made everyone besides his wife, Aunt Anna, Felica, Flash, Betty and the various members of the heroic community forget that he was Spider-Man. When the dust settled with the support of a fat check from Stark Peter and MJ returned to ESU in order to get their doctorare and psychology degree respectively afterwards Peter went back to teaching science at Midtown High working summers consulting at Allan Chemical. Mary Jane had initially continued her off broadway gigs before becoming Midtown High's drama teacher.
Madame Web then approached Mary Jane.
"Who are you?" the recent widow asked.
"I'm you... well you from another reality I came to help but I suppose there was only so much I can do. I was going to make you an offer but I know that you'll refuse there is however a favor I could do for you."
"What would that be?"
"The portals still open the coordinates could be changed you could go back, intervene prevent this and anything else you didn't like from happening live your life with Peter once again for as long as you can."
"How do I know I can trust you? That it won't make matters worse."
"You can trust me because I lost my Peter too and found him again in a sense and as for your trip down memory lane when have you and Peter beeen anything but could for each other."
"You have a point."
"I don't have much time to talk and can't really say what will become of this world but take this."
She handed Mary Jane a green vial.
"What's this?"
"A retroviral agent that alters people's genetic structure."
"What you're giving me superpowers? I'd rather leave socking the scofflaw set to my husband thank you."
"No it's an anti-aging treatment developed by an alternate future version of your husband it slows the aging process by 65% I want you to have as much time as possible with Peter even if you get marooned in the past."
"Thank you."
"I know you'll put it to good use. Say hi to him for me I regret that I wasn't able to do so myself." Web said and MJ realised she felt guilty about not being able to save both of them.
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Probably not but never say never."
And with that Madame Web exited the universe through her own portal leaving MJ to look at the vial before drinking it gagging and feeling a bit sick as she considered their plan. Over on the other end Miguel had accesed the historical records and found that Spider-Man had died that day it seemed in history some things were fixed. It was so frustrating because that was the whole reason he'd gone to the past to save his predecessor. But he'd saved MJ he remembered maybe he wasn't such a screw up after all. it took only a moment for him to rig the chamber's console to allow him to contact the widow. Back in the present Mary Jane saw the console screen light up and Miguel's costumed form visible.
"Mary Jane can you hear me are you all right?"
"Yes but I have a headache you wouldn't believe I can remember the past but also another one how am I not losing my mind?"
"It's called the observer effect. When the timeline became messed up you were supposed to die this changed Peter and made his future self which no longer exist evil and everything spiraled further out of control. You're life like mine and Peter's stood at the center of the chronal disturbance like the eye of a storm the cumulative effect of saving your life and your pressence at the scene of Peter's death at thr center of the timestorm has allowed your mind to recall both timelines. Now Mrs. Parker this is important do you know how to work the console."
"I was never the most academic person but I'm a fast learner when I want to be and I used to listen to Peter go on for hours about radiation, biophysics, vibes and whatever else was on his mind. That's it I'm in!"
"Good now I'm downloading a file from my time to you right now using the tachyons when it's done I want you to open it the virus will fry the time machine's hardware and software. Did you get that?"
"I'm sorry O'Hara you're breaking up..." Mary Jane replied as she had dialed the tachyon receiver way down till it hovered just over zero. While she was glad to have the opportunity to talk with her rescuer again she wasn't going to let him interfere. After making a quick check of the interface she set the space-time coordinates for the time vortex and prayed that it would work.
"I'm coming Tiger I'll see you on the other side." she promised as she entered the vortex and dissapeared from view.
2099
It didn't take long for Miguel to realize that someone in MJ's position could do something very foolish indeed he knew because he was tempted himself to use the machine for a do over. He was evaluating his options and memory of the current timeline when a figure emerged from a portal behind him.
"Leave the widow alone trust me."
Miguel turned and saw the blind MC2 MJ.
"I'm assuming you're the new Madame Web I keep hearing about."
"I am."
"Whatever you're here for can't be good."
"You failed to save your predecessor but you might just help save all reality."
"Don't tell me the tablets been broken again."
"No it's far worse. You're one of the last Miguel's left in the multi-verse The army that's assembling they will need your skills if they are to survive."
"Allright Madame take me there it's not like this day could get any worse."
"You have no idea."
Miguel entered the portal with Madame Web right behind her. Time had already started accelerating greatly in relation to the rest of the multi-verse in this universe. She couldn't protect it she had no means but Web had a feeling that the effort she made would not go unrewarded.
20 Years Ago Before The Present
Mary Jane emerged from the portal in a discreet spot in Forest Hills she was sure no one would notice the portal for hours. After fifteen minutes she reached Peter's street. He was out with his uncle raking leaves he was 14 she was 13 it was the first time she had ever seen Peter staring at him from Aunt Anna's window even then she thought he was cute in a nerdy sort of way. She'd have to go it was too early to intervene. MJ took brief pleasure in reliving this scene from a more innocent time. She was discreet and left heading back towards the portal but she could have sworn Peter saw her and stopped what he was doing for a few seconds. She felt mixed about it the possibility she was already turning his head gave her some satisfaction but she hoped it wouldn't butterfly somehow.
1 Year Later
Mary Jane emerged in the same spot as last time and walked to Midtown High. After entering the school Mary Jane checked the school calender. It was February Peter's freshman year of high school three months before Peter got his powers and nine months before his Uncle died. Second period ended a moment after she entered the hall and students came pouring in turning a corner she caught sight of Peter being beaten up by Flash and his friends Liz Allan stood a distance away distressed and annoyed but unwilling to speak up. As Peter's head rose his eyes made contact with her's from behind his glasses and time seemed to stop before he started picking up his books. Peter and the other kids moved to their classes as MJ stood nearly frozen as she struggled to determine what to do.
Mary Jane felt real bad for this as she spied on him throughout the school day Peter's goodness all of it that great love he had for people was there even then. Soon the hostility Peter felt from the world would turn himself inward make him reserve all that for his Aunt and Uncle until that fatal wake up call. She wanted so much to just approach him now take him in her arms, assure him that he was loved and give him one of her pep talks but she couldn't it was too early too dangerous for her to intervene now. She left the school and returned to the present.
As Mary Jane considered her next move she felt a strong inclination to warn Peter before he let the burglar go spare him that pain but then he wouldn't be the same man the man she loved. How many people would die if Ben was spared? Just as insistently she wished to visit her younger self around the time of her mother's funeral she'd save herself so much time and pain if she could somehow convince her past self to forgive herself for abandoning Gayle. MJ had had many reasons for her commitment issues in the past but that guilt that deep down had made her deny herself happiness was the most serious and insurmountable. Mary Jane finally ruled it out as she realized intervening with herself was much more dangerous than with Peter if she felt the pressure from being made aware of her fate there'd be a good chance she'd fight it.
Ultimately Spider-Man's widow did come to a decision she readied the coordinates as best she could and just hoped they were right.
3 Years Later
It had been nearly ten minutes since Mary Jane came out of the time vortex she now stood at Peter's street. As she approached Peter's home she spotted Flash Thomson waiting outside probably for Peter to show up so he could give him a beating this gave her a strong hint of when she was. If she was not mistaken she was six months too early.
Checking to see if her Aunt Anna wasn't watching from her home across the street MJ moved to the side of the home opposite Flash and spied through the window. She was right on the timing it was about a month before Peter graduated high school. Inside were five women her younger self waiting for Peter on a blind date he was never going to show up for as well as Aunt May of course and Betty Brant and Liz Allen who were both looking for Peter and finally a fifth girl a brunette Mary Jane vaguely remembered meeting that day but she couldn't recall her name.
After nearly a half hour everyone started to leave so MJ made herself scarce unfortunately she scrambled in the opposite direction of her ride home she'd have to turn back. Watching the front of the house she saw her past self and the unknown woman talking as they walked on the sidewalk they seemed to be getting along real well. The two parted ways heading in opposite directions the older Mary Jane decided to make her move heading towards the vortex but this would make her path intersect with the other girl. As Mary Jane reached several paces away from her she got a better look of her and found her oddly familar but her puzzlement was no match for the other's look of shocked recognition.
"Mom" The teenager blurted out in surprise as they now stood face to face.
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