Mary Jane got up on her feets, rubbing her arm like she used to do when she had a guilty conscience.
"Peter... I really didn't wanted you to find out this way. This is what I was trying to tell you ten minutes ago."
Peter was so struck by shock that he could barely talk.
"But... how... HOW!?!"
"It's... kind of a long story. And I really don't want to talk about it here. Can't we go somewhere else?"
MJ could see on his mask that he moved his jaw, but he didn't say anything. He stood in silence until the sirens arrived a few seconds later.
"Like on the cue, huh?" MJ said.
"Come here." Peter said and took MJ under her arm with one hand, jumping high up in the air with her and swinged away.
"Wait, what about our coffee?"
They soon landed on a rooftop, far away from disturbing people and windows. After they had let go eachothers, there was a long awkward silence. MJ was first to break it.
"There is a nice view from here."
"MJ! What is this!?" Peter yelled while taking of his mask.
"Peter... I know you got a lot of questions, but--"
"If I have!!! I mean, where did all this come from? Where did THOSE come from!?"
MJ blushed a little, she knew what Peter meant by 'those'. She put her hands behind her back and straighten her shoulders.
"What do you think?" she asked, a little curious.
"What I think? I think I don't got enough super-strenght in me to lift those! I mean, they look like the're gonna pop off and grow boobs of there own."
MJ raised an eyebrow, what was he doing?
"Am I able to adjust your volume with them or something?"
MJ put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. Her boyfriend had entered his spiral of hysterical jokes, which he sometimes did when he didn't knew what to do.
"You-- You could play Shakespeare on that balcony. Are they for distraction or are you planning to club people with'em?!"
MJ crossed her arms. "Are you done?" she asked.
Peter took a deep breath. "Yeah... I think so."
"Good. Because after that, you'll never get to touch them."
Peter suddenly find himself more quiet then he ever been in his whole life.
After a few seconds, the confused boy shaked his head to get back his focus. "Seriusly, MJ! What happen'd to you?"
"I can't really explain it." the young girl said. "You know that time when I got very sick last week?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Well, I was actually a lot sicker then I showed, I was spasing and cramping and had dizzyspells and everything. And when I woke up the next morning I'd turned into Superwoman. I was feeling fine, better then ever actually, and I had become superstrong and superfast and... and superhungry. So I made this suit, by myself, and thought that maybe I could be your crime fighting partner."
"What? You just changed? Like that?"
"Yeah, so? You changed over night too."
"I got bitten by a spider on 'roids! People just don't change like this for nothing."
MJ shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's like you said yesterday, I could be a mutant. Or maybe someone did this to me without me knowing."
Peter put his hand to his head, he couldn't belive that he was hearing, and started to walk around in circles. "No no no, this can't be happening. It can't!"
"Peter, calm down."
"Calm down!? Don't you realise the situation here!?"
"I thought you would he glad for me."
Pete nearly jumped out of his suit. "Glad!?! MJ, you had the chance to live a normal life! Now that's ruined."
"I wouldn't call being Spider-mans girlfriend 'normal'. Come on, at least I can protect myself now. You always worry about me being used by some of your enemies trying to get to you, imagine the look on their faces when the seemingly helpless teenage girl starts kicking the crap out of them."
"MJ! Think about how stupid this is! You're smarter then me, you should know better!"
"What do you mean smarter? You're the science geek in this reletionship."
"Oh yeah? Then how come you got a higher grade point average then me!?"
She rolled her eyes, she thought he answer was pretty obvious. "Maybe because you never get to class in time. I'm sure I can bet you in that area."
But Peters mind couldn't accept the whole situation. He buried his face in his hands, and Mary Jane was sure she could hear him crying.
"This is all my fault. You... you could have been happy. But instead you got dragged into this shit. And it's... it's all my fault...
MJ took Peters hands with her own and moved out of the way of his face, and when he looked up, she kissed him.
"Wha... what was that for?" Pete asked when their lips broke off.
"Sometimes it's the only way to make you calm down. Peter do you remember all the stuff you said to me yesterday, on the rooftop?"
"For gods sake, MJ! You said yourself that you almost died."
MJ put her hands over Peters cheeks. "Do you remember what you said?"
"MJ, this is not--"
"Do you remember!?" she almost yelled out while taking a firmer grip of him.
"Ouch, ouch! Yes, yes I do!"
She let go of his face, realising that she was hurting him.
"Sorry..."
"Man, you really ARE strong."
Mary Jane laid her arms around Peters waist. "Peter, sweetheart, yesterday you told me that I was doing great, and you encouraged me to hang in there. Why is that so different from today?"
"Because it's YOU. You're gonna end up dead in my backyard or... I don't know... Everyone I love have a tendency to get hurt, or worse, killed."
"Honey, what you don't understand is that you are in the exact position I was in."
"What position?"
"Worrying about my sweetie." She lifted her hand and combed back the part of his hair that were blocking out his eyes. "Have it ever occurred to you that I'm terribly worried about you every time you put on your suit? I die on the inside every time I see you being dragged away by some superpowered loony."
The look on Peters face showed that he started to feel guilty, a look he had pretty often.
"I-- I didn't know you felt that way."
"Of course I do. Before I had know chanse to do anything to help you, but now I can. I don't have to sit and wait to find out if you survived or not anymore, I can watch your back myself, make sure you get home safe."
A sign was heard from Peter. "MJ, I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh honey, you don't have to worry about that, I'm already getting good at this hero-buisness. You saw me fight that Shocker-idiot, I can take care of myself. Plus, with you besides me, nothing bad could happen."
"MJ..." Peter was losing his strenght, he felt he was fighting a battle he couldn't win. "This isn't that easy. This changes you're going through... They could be dangerous."
"Peter, look at me, I'm feeling great. Just LOOK at me." She stepped back and spinned around, letting her worried boyfriend get a good look of all of her. "I'M HOT! I gain like fifteen pounds of muscles, I don't got a single pimple on me anymore, I got a booty as fine as J-Lo (finer if I may say so myself) and and I've gone up two cup-sizes."
"It's gonna be fun to hear you explaine how you did that to the girls in the locker room."
"Peter, I really want this, I want to help you. And I got a responsibility now, like you, to help people. I have to do it."
That was it, Peter knew he had officially lost. He couldn't argue with his Uncle Bens words. So instead he started to beat himself up.
"I... I don't get how I couldn't recognise you from the start. I mean... the similarities was... so in my face. I'm so stupid."
"No no no, Peter." She gently stroke her boyfriend over the face. "You're not stupid, you're just so... darn gullible. But that's one of the things that I love about you."
Peter just signed.
"Allright, but if you're gonna do this, then we have to make sure of some things. Come with me." By that he took MJ's hand and started to lead her away.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm taking you for a med check-up."
The people were quite bissy at this Midtown police station. Lawyers and prosecutors came and went. Criminals was taking in and transported between the cells and interrogation rooms. Officers, in or out of uniforms, carried mountains of paper works between on desk and another. An handcuffed man in a red wig screamed "I REMEMBER EVERYTHING!!!". One of the younger officers made a little visit to the forensic lab.
"Hey, Carlie. What's cooking?"
Carlie, a small young woman with glasses, showed him a small plastic bag with some red hair. "You know that bankrobbery? The one with the grey monster and that new hero Jackpot?"
"Yeah."
"Well, this is the only decent evidance we have from there. I'm just about to see if I can get something out of it."
"Well, do your thing. Don't let me spoil your fun."
The young officer left Carlie to do her magic. She took out every instrument she needed to extract DNA from the hair, but she didn't get the chanse to use them. Suddenly the very wall was smashed in, spreading bricks and dirt everywhere. Carlie fell to the floor, and when she looked up she saw a giant, grey, human-shaped monster standing over her.
"I belive you might be able to help me." it said with its scaring raspy voice, looking down at her with yellow eyes.
Several police men tried to came to Carlies rescue, but the creature lifted up a large desk and put it over the door, blocking the police mens only way in. It then looked back at the small female analyst, while fingering its axe.
"Yesterday I fought a young woman with red hair. I know you will have some of her hair, and I want it. Give it to me and you will survive this encounter."
Carlie lifted the plastic bag and with a shaking hand gave it to the monster."
"Is this the only ones?"
Carlie nodded.
"Good." the creature said while putting the bag in a pocket in its pants. Then the police men finally succeeded to push the desk out of their way, just in time to see the monster leap away and leave them in the mess it had created.
"My thanks to all of you, New York finest! AH-HAHAHA!"