Disclaimer: Good evening, infidels! Sorry about that! Too much Jeff Dunham! I do not, I say DO NOT, own the rights to Spider-Man or the supporting characters. Now if you will please:
SILENCE! I KILL YOU!
SHUT UP, ACHMED!
Chapter II
Priorities
Nobody said finding a place to live after marriage was an easy thing, and whoever did was a damn liar. Peter was obviously learning the hard way as he and Mary Jane searched for a new home in the city. Mary Jane at one point suggested Peter moved in with her temporarily until they could agree on a decent place. At least Peter didn't have to worry about Mr. Ditkovich breathing down his neck regarding the rent. After several pain staking weeks of searching, the soon-to-be newlyweds found a quaint little apartment building on the Upper West Side. It was small to be sure, larger still than Peter's old place, but small none the less.
"It's now or never," announced the landlord of the apartment, an African-American woman in her early 50's. "With a rent of eight hundred a month and three bedrooms, it's pretty much a steal. I got another young couple who'll take it if you're not interested."
Peter seemed to be in denial, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not too sure. Maybe we should keep looking for…"
"We'll take it!" Mary Jane suddenly announced much to Peter's astonishment.
"I'll make the arrangements and you two can move into your new home."
Peter nodded to the landlord as she left, then turned to Mary Jane. "Why do you want to live, MJ? It's too small, it's too high up and it's…" Peter was cut off a second time by Mary Jane putting her index finder over his mouth.
"It's too bad you keep forgetting how much I love you, Mr. Parker." Mary Jane drew herself into Peter and the couple shared a kiss.
After a minute, the couple broke of the kiss and Peter said, "I hope this is how you plan to settle all our arguments."
Mary Jane smiled. "If not, I can think of some other methods."
Peter couldn't help but smile at his fiancé's rather interesting sense of humor. Maybe this marriage deal wasn't going to be such a bad idea after all. One could hope!
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A few hours passed by like they never happened, as Peter and Mary Jane, and a moving company brought the necessary furniture into the new apartment. Peter and Mary Jane brought up their own individual items from their previous homes. Nothing serious, just the essential thing-a-ma-jigs! Anything they didn't need was sent to the local pawn shop for additional cash if it was needed. Soon enough, everything was in order and all that remained was the inevitable paperwork. Once that was done, Peter and Mary Jane took some time to get truly settled into their new home, looking out the window into the sun lit sky.
"Hey, Peter," Mary Jane said, breaking the brief silence. "Have you talked to aunt May lately?"
Peter shook his head lightly. "Not since I told her about our engagement. She's been kind of distant lately. It's probably due to her being all alone in her own apartment. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking maybe we should have her move in with us," Mary Jane said, earning a gaze from Peter. "I mean, she's all alone in that one apartment, like you said."
Peter went quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he said, "Well, I can try to talk to her about when I get a chance."
Mary Jane cupped Peter's in one hand. "You better not go flying around the city looking for another bad guy."
"It isn't my fault there's always a bad guy running around," Peter mumbled like a fool. "Can I have my face back, please?"
Mary Jane giggled and let go of Peter's face. "Sorry, but you have to admit, that's was kind of funny."
All Peter could do from then on was smile.
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The waterfront district of Roosevelt Island would conceivably be considered the last place for any form of activity, especially in the considerable daylight. No one could comprehend the goings on inside one of the houses. An assortment, make that an arsenal of machinery and weapons, was strum around a makeshift workshop and waiting to be found. It wasn't just any type of arsenal. Spider-Man would have recognized all of it since it used to belong to Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. No longer! It seemed that somebody had clean out the hidden lair from the Osborn estate, taking the equipment with them. But why? A door opened at the front of the warehouse, where a single individual stepped into the shadows. His face was obscured by the shadows, but he was the same man who discovered the Goblin's lair. He sauntered around the workshop, glaring into a series of display chambers housing flight suits. There was of course the first Goblin suit, worn by Norman Osborn. He was the first, but most certainly not the last. In the next chamber was the New Goblin suit, once worn by Harry Osborn who succumbed to the Goblin legacy in a misguided attempt to kill Spider-Man. Another chamber stood next, housing a new, dual colored suit. The man felt a faint vibration in his coat pocket, pulling out a cell phone and answering it, putting it on speaker mode.
"What do you want," the man asked with an air of annoyance in his voice.
"You've been ignoring my calls as of late," said a distorted voice. "I'm beginning to think your commitment to me is waning."
"Then allow me to confirm," the man snapped. "I'm done with you. I have other projects in mind and I don't have the time or patience to deal with your plans."
"Then I suggest you drop them, lest I said my best people to deal with you."
The man balked at the notice that someone would get to him in any way, shape or form. "Don't even bother trying to scare with idle threats. Keep in mind I've not exposed you to general public. They still believe you a philanthropist, but what will happen if they find out your other occupation?"
"How will anyone find out about me if you're dead?"
Angered, the unknown man hung up on the voice and violently threw the phone across the area. The phone crashed into the wall, bursting into pieces and falling to the floor. The man slammed his hands onto the table and sighed heavy, glaring blankly at the Goblin arsenal. He picked one of the copper colored orbs, or pumpkin bombs, examining its infrequent design. A small switch was pressed, inadvertently or not, causing a series of tiny green lights to blink rapidly. The man tossed the now volatile orb far from the workshop. It impacted the far wall and detonated, being accompanied by a shriek of sorts. Seeing the action brought a sly smile to the man, now believing himself having an ideal solution to his dilemma. But first, he had to ensure that the steps in which Osborn was driven insane were not repeated. Thinking as such, the man gazed at one last chamber, which housed the canisters containing the performance enhancer formula. No way with the man going to end like the Green Goblin. By and by, he'll be something even worse.
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Peter hadn't seen much of aunt May since the day he told her of the impending marriage. He was quiet since he got to the apartment in which May lived, having said nothing other than "Hello," to which May welcomed with open arms and a smile. Since then, Peter had taken a seat on the sofa while May was in the kitchen making a cup of tea. Peter sensed that something was off about his, and he didn't a spider-sense for that. May seemed so quiet lately, yet Peter didn't dare question his aunt. He briefly turned his attention to the television, watching the news regarding a late night robbery from the First National Bank. The new police captain was on screen being interviewed, being identified as Jean DeWolff. Peter had heard of her and DeWolff had made it clear that she wasn't a big fan of costumed nut jobs. That included Spider-Man! Peter conjured up a mental image of DeWolff and J. Jonah Jameson having brunch together, discussing their collective distain of the web slinger. Aunt May finally came over to her nephew, two cups of tea in her hands and handing one to Peter. May took a seat next to her nephew, still beaming with an infectious smile that could light Time Square.
"Thanks for seeing me, aunt May," Peter said. "I really appreciate it after the, um, news."
May gently shook her head. "There's no need to thank me for anything, Peter. You know you're welcome here anytime," May took a brief sip of tea. "So, how've you and Mary Jane been doing?"
"Things couldn't be any better," Peter said, sipping from his cup. "Mary Jane's modeling gig's been really successful. I've been getting reasonably paid for the Spider-Man photo…"
"That's not what I meant, Peter," May said, chuckling with each word. "I mean, how is the progress of the engagement?"
"Oh," Peter quipped almost unintentionally. "Well, it's going great; we finally found a place to live after the wedding and we're in talks about where to spend our first honeymoon."
"Sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment," May said. "Maybe too much at one time. Trust me; I've been through the same thing before I married your Uncle Ben."
"Yeah, I guess," Peter said. "Actually, that's kind of the reason I came to see you. See, with me and MJ getting married soon, we figured we could possibly ask you move with us."
May was silent for a moment, and then said. "I see!"
"I mean, you've been living in this apartment for so long, alone," Peter continued, setting his tea down on the coffee table. "I think it'd be good for you to be with family. You and Uncle Ben took care of my parents died and raised me as if I was your own child. I just want to be able to repay you for that."
Aunt May mimicked Peter earlier action and set her tea on the table before taking her nephews' hand in her own. "Peter, I appreciate what you're doing and I love you for it, but I'm afraid I have to decline the offer."
"Aunt May, c'mon," Peter wondered aloud. "I'm not trying to say that this place is bad, but you don't have to be alone like this."
"Peter, that's enough," May laughed. "I'm never really alone; Ben is always even though I see him. He's always with you as well. Besides, a new home is meant for a young couple beginning a new life together. What good could an old girl like me do?"
May stood up and Peter followed suit. He had to admire his aunt's independence, God bless her. "C'mon, aunt May. There's a lot of good you can still do."
"Thank you, dear, but my mind is made up," May said. "Still, I appreciate the gesture. Just promise me that you'll be there for Mary Jane when you're married. A husband must be honest to his wife and be there for her when she needs him most. I know in my heart," May pointed to her chest. "…that you can be that man."
Peter smiled at May's words, always a moral compass was she. "Yeah, I promise, aunt May. I won't let you down."
"That's all I could ever ask for."
Peter hugged his beloved aunt May, who for so long had been more like a mother, and headed out the door into the hallway. Before leaving, Peter turned back to May.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider the offer?" he asked.
"Don't worry about me, Peter," May said assuredly. "I'm still capable of taking care of myself."
Peter just thought he'd ask. No harm in that, really! Peter took a few steps backwards, keeping aunt May in view until he turned and headed the hall. After she'd the doors, May leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily. It was a sort of cruel irony that she told Peter about being an honest person, when she herself couldn't be honest to him about what was going on with her. Was it selfish of May to keep her current condition secret from her own nephew? Only time could tell.
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Peter stepped out the front entrance of the apartment building into the bright afternoon air, big city insanity and all. There was a newsstand on the sidewalk and Peter decided to grab a paper, maybe find a crossword puzzle to solve before heading home. He found himself balking at the front page headline which read: CAT BURGLAR STRIKES AGAIN! SPIDER-MAN WANTED!
Not again!
Peter huffed in frustration and absentmindedly stormed off, being verbally confronted by the owner of the stand. "Hey, buddy, you gonna pay for that?"
Peter knew he forget something, reaching into his pocket and pulling on a one dollar bill and a quarter. "Keep the change!" he said and strolled off.
The headline was obviously the handy work of old Fuzz Head, AKA, J. Jonah Jameson. One would think that after Spider-Man saved his wrinkly buttocks from Scorpion, ironically his own creation, Jameson would at be a tad grateful. Of course, that's was too much to ask. Peter had half a mind to storm into the Daily Bugle and give Jameson a mouthful of webbing to shut him up. But that would only end up maddening the already unhelpful, not to mention expose Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man the whole city. Peter decided to ride it out for the time being until he had a chance to confront Jameson about the headline. Still, he had a sneaking suspicion that he'd cross paths with this so-called cat burglar sooner or later.
Preferably sooner rather than later!
Author's note: That should clinch Chapter 2. This is the part where you leave a review or two, ask a question and/or post of funny comment. Whatever you want, just read and review. Stay tuned for Chapter 3.