M.J. entered the store, immediately catching Liz's attention. Immediately the woman rushed over to her and embraced her.
"Congratulations again," she said. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks," Mary Jane replied as they separated. "Granted, that wasn't the impression that I got from you last night, since you usually respond to my texts much faster."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Liz confessed. "Between Peter just leaving me in the dark and finding out that he was part of the reason you ended up kidnapped in the first place, it was a little hard for me not to still be upset with him. I thought about it some more though, and I realized that, not only does he make you happy, but neither of those things are reason enough that he shouldn't be happy either. Besides, if I'd been in his shoes, I'm not sure I would have handled things any differently."
"I'm just glad you finally came around," M.J. said.
"He's a good guy, M.J," Liz assured her, "but I hope he knows that he's the one getting the better end of the deal."
M.J. let out a light snort. She had always teased Peter about that throughout their relationship, but really, it was hard for her not to feel the opposite. Despite all his struggles, he still managed to give hope to everyone around him, including her.
"Anyway, we need to stock up on some things before we get started," Liz explained, starting for the back room. "A new shipment was actually being delivered right when I got here, so I'd really like to try and get ahead of tha..."
"Wait Liz," M.J. urged, stopping her friend in her tracks. "There's something else that we need to talk about first."
"Oh, okay," her best friend replied, a perplexed expression on her face.
M.J. swallowed; she'd been thinking about what she'd wanted the whole ride to the store but was still finding herself having a hard time getting started.
"You were right," she finally got out. "I need to be more open to having people help out, so, yes, I think we need to look at hiring someone else to train up."
Liz tilted her head, narrowing her eyebrows even further as she smiled curiously.
"What changed your mind?" she asked.
"You know how much I like control," M.J. began, "at least in my own circumstances. The work that I do on my end to keep things going is something that I take a lot of pride in, and I the thought of giving that up even a little bit just sounded...wrong. But I've learned recently that I can't control everything; sometimes you just have to let go and have faith. Just because I don't have the wheel doesn't mean things still can't turn out great."
A wide, even proud smile stretched across Liz's face.
"I'm glad you've come around," she said. "I was trying to give you some space to sort through it, but I was starting to think I would actually have to bring it up in earnest again."
M.J. nodded.
"Of course, now comes the difficulty of actually finding someone that I feel like I can trust enough to actually do the job," she replied. "So, yeah, we'll see how that goes."
"I'm sure we'll find someone," Liz assured her. "It might take time, but eventually someone will..."
The two women were interrupted by a knock against the glass of their front door. M.J. spun around to see that it was a young dark-haired woman. Something about her looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Still, she walked over to the door, opening it just enough to address her properly.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we don't open for another hour," M.J. explained. The young woman just stood there, seemingly undeterred. She fidgeted nervously with her hands, an anxious look on her face. It still bothered Mary Jane that she couldn't seem to identify who this girl was; she seemed more and more familiar.
"I actually wasn't here to shop," the woman finally replied.
"Okay," M.J. replied, Liz now joining her at her side. "Is there something else I can help you with?"
"Uhm...I was actually wondering if I could maybe have a job?" the woman stammered out.
M.J.'s brain finally connected the dots: this was the same young woman that she had helped get away from the guy holding her against her will in the alley several days ago. Her heart immediately went out to the girl, and she extended her arm out to her.
"Come in," she replied.
Peter walked into the Bugle breakroom, specifically heading in the direction of where the donuts were. One of the many ways that Robbie took care of them was always making sure they had at least something to snack on as a little pick me up to start the day. He was particularly grateful today, since he'd woke up to the police radio on his phone alerting him to a high-speed chase, which naturally resulted in the skipping of a snack at home if he intended to make it into work on time.
As he was surveying the options, Eddie came up beside him.
"I guess congratulations are in order," the man said.
Peter, feeling as though he'd been caught red-handed, slowly turned to his friend.
"Yeah, thanks," he replied. "I'm sorry that you had to hear it from Anne instead of me. I just wasn't sure that I was someone that you wanted to hear from."
Eddie let out a light huff of air through his nose; he still didn't seem like his usual happy self, but he appeared less flustered than yesterday.
"Look man, what you did...yeah, it bothered me how you handled the whole thing, and if I'm honest, it still does," Eddie explained. "But I know that you weren't put in an easy position by that phone call. I've never been the best at giving grace, but I'll find a way to get over it and move on."
Peter smiled lightly; he still felt a little guilty inside for keeping Eddie in the dark on his identity, but at this point, he wasn't even sure if telling him would make things better or worse.
"Seriously though, congratulations," Eddie continued, giving Peter a light punch on the arm. "You certainly ended up with a good one, that's for sure."
"Thanks man," Peter said. "Yeah, I definitely hit the jackpot, for sure."
"You know that once the boss man finds out, he's going to want to organize a party for you, right?" Eddie asked.
Peter rolled his eyes; he liked hanging out with people, but he never was one to enjoy being the center of attention, at least not when he couldn't hide behind a mask.
"I guess I'll have to brace myself then," he replied.
"You remember that time where we had so many engagements that we had, I think it was ten parties in three weeks?" Eddie asked.
"How could I forget?" Peter huffed. "That might have been the unhealthiest I'd eaten in a long time."
"Yeah, I doubled my workout regimen during that time," Eddie replied. "I think it drove Anne crazy how much time I was spending in our home gym."
Peter laughed.
"Well, I guess we all do what we have to," he said.
"Yep," Eddie replied, "oh, speaking of which, I need to fill you in on the latest on Smythe."
"Oh, okay," Peter responded, straightening up a little as his curiosity peaked.
"So, after he was arrested last night, he wouldn't tell the police anything about why he was building giant machines to kill Spider-Man," Eddie explained. "He wouldn't say anything about his motives or if someone hired him or not. All he would talk about is how his dad needed help."
"His dad?" Peter questioned.
"Yeah," Eddie replied, "the police actually went to a location that he gave them, and they found the man inside some kind of cryo suspension chamber or whatever. None of his equipment was down there though; it was just him."
"Wow," Peter said. "So, did they figure out what was wrong with his father?"
"From Alistair's own testimony, he's paralyzed from the waist down," Eddie explained. "Personally, I don't know that something like that warrants a cryo freeze, but whatever. I'm sure more will be revealed in the days to come. It usually does."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Peter said, still taking everything in. Why did it seem like so many of his villains had at least somewhat decent reasons behind what they did, even if what they did was still absolutely evil and needed to be stopped?
"Anyway, I need to get back to finishing the article I'm writing on it," Eddie explained. "We need to get one of your pictures from this whole mess on there, so try and have one ready."
"I'll get right on it," Peter replied. "Oh, and Eddie...thanks."
Eddie nodded before departing the room. Peter then turned and finally made his selection, grabbing a bagel before turning had heading towards his desk. He'd barely left the room when his phone rang. The caller was from an unknown number, which inherently made him a little nervous.
"Hello?" he answered it.
"Meet me at the east docks," the voice of Kraven replied. "We still have unfinished business."
The man then hung up, and Peter quickly ducked out of the building.
As he drew near to the meeting place, Peter spotted Kraven. To his surprise, the man was just standing there, out in the open, watching him. Normally the man seemed to try and catch him off guard at first, so seeing him take this approach immediately raised some questions and concerns in Peter's mind. His spider sense wasn't alerting him to any traps though, so he released his web, dropping and landing about ten to fifteen feet in front of his enemy.
"Alright," Peter said, automatically getting into a fighting stance. "Let's get this over with."
"I didn't call you here to fight," Kraven explained, "not this time."
Peter slowly rose up, his mind flooded with confusion.
"Uh, okaaay," he said, "then why did you call me here again?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Kraven answered.
"Oh," Peter replied. "Well, ask away then, I guess."
"Why did you save my life from that machine?" his opponent asked. "I'd repeatedly threatened you and your loved one; you could have let me die right there, and you wouldn't have had blood on your hands like I was trying to get you to have, but you still saved me. Why?"
Peter walked up the man, stopping just a couple feet in front of him.
"Because I meant what I said," he finally answered. "I don't know what happened in your life to give you such a low view of your fellow human beings, but I just wanted to show you that we're not all bad; well, at least not ALL the time. Besides, if you see enough death, you learn how precious life is, and how it should be protected, even if it's for someone you don't really like all that much, no offense."
Kraven nodded while glancing away, seemingly taking in the answer he'd received.
"I was wrong about one thing: I made the assertion that the woman you love so much wouldn't be willing to risk it for you as you were for her. I saw what she did, how she put her life on the line to help you, even knowing what it might mean for her. You were right; she is strong."
Peter shrugged, his hands stretched out at his sides.
"I mean, I hate to say I told you so, but, you know..."
"I've never seen someone be willing to do something like that for someone else," Kraven said, his voice almost sounding perplexed. "What you did for me, what she did for you...it's made me rethink a lot of things."
"Okay," Peter said. "So, what does that mean exactly? Are you finally done trying to kill me?"
"Yes," Kraven affirmed. "You've proven yourself the superior fighter during our last two encounters, but the thought of killing you now, it just feels...pointless. I will be boarding a boat shortly to make my way back home."
"Cool," Peter nodded. "What happens then?"
"I don't know," Kraven earnestly replied. "This is the first time in many years where I am uncertain of what I want or where I belong, but I know that I cannot continue in the way I once lived."
"Alright then," Peter said. "Well, I hope you figure it out. Who knows, maybe you'll find something else worth living for."
He then extended his gloved hand for Kraven to shake, and the man accepted the gesture, giving him a firm handshake. Peter then watched as the man boarded the boat, staying long enough to make sure that it was actually setting sail and that this wasn't just some ploy to deceive him. The man had seemed earnest enough and his spider sense never once went off during their encounter, but he could never be too careful.
"So, he was genuinely trying to make amends?" M.J. questioned.
"I think so," Peter replied, having just explained his encounter with Kraven to his fiancé. Man, that word sounded so good.
"Huh," M.J. said. "Well, I guess people really can surprise you sometimes." She then faced back out towards the city again, the two of them reclining on a rooftop watching the sunset over the city.
"Do you think I made the right decision?" Peter asked. "You know, letting him go?"
M.J. didn't answer right away, not even so much as fidgeting in her position at all.
"Yeah, I think so," she responded. "I mean, he broke out of containment before anyway, so who's to say that he couldn't do it again. Besides, knowing that you changed one of your enemy's minds for a change instead of just throwing them in jail...I'm proud of you, Tiger."
She peered back, their eyes meeting as she glanced up at him. Peter leaned forward slightly to give her a kiss. He then tightened the hold his arms had around her as she leaned back, resting the back of her head just underneath his chin.
"So, what did your aunt have to say about the little message you left her last night?" Mary Jane asked.
Peter let out a huff of air.
"Let's just say that I haven't heard her that excited in a long time," he answered. "She kept asking me questions about how it went, what your reaction was and so on before I could even get the answer to the previous question out. I was kind of worried that she was going to get her heart rate up too much."
"I'm glad she's happy," M.J. asserted. "She's the closest thing to a mother figure that I've had for most of my life. Knowing that she's excited about us getting married...it means everything."
"You made quite the impression on her from day one," Peter assured her, "so it was never in doubt."
Silence fell between them once again before M.J. spoke up again.
"Peter?"
"Yeah," he answered.
"Now that we've been engaged for, well, almost twenty-four hours...are you nervous now, at all?" M.J. asked.
"Nope," he replied, "I'm terrified."
"Me too," M.J. admitted. "Like, I'm still excited, but at the same time, I just..."
"I know," Peter replied. "I want to be the best I can be for you as well. I guess it's just something we'll have to face together."
M.J. looked back at him again, smiling. She reached back, running her hand along his cheek.
"There's no other way I'd have it, Tiger."
They were about to kiss again, when suddenly alarms could be heard in the distance. Peter and Mary Jane both looked out each other, letting out a little chuckle.
"I'll be quick, I promise," he assured her.
"I'll be waiting," she affirmed. He then gave her a quick kiss before scaling down the side of the building into an alley, where he quickly removed his outer clothing in favor of his Spider-Man suit. He then swung off, looking back at M.J. one more time. Even from the distance he'd already covered, he could see her blowing a kiss in his direction.
There might always be some emergency to swing off to, but he would also have Mary Jane Watson waiting for him when he returned.
Releasing another web, Peter sailed through the air, off to face whatever new challenge lay ahead.
Well, that's it TASM 4!
I would like to thank everyone followed and supported this story some way, especially those who left feedback. To this point, this story has seen the second highest story in terms of comments, and it has blown me away to see your all's encouragement and support. Please, whether you have or haven't commented before, I'd appreciate it if you left your final thoughts on the story. Obviously be nice if you have critiques, but I truly try to take in as much as I can in order to make myself a better writer.
Now, onto the big question: what's next?
Well, the next installment in this series will be a little different. If these stories so far have been essentially the equivalent to a feature film each, then I consider the next thing to be akin to a "special" if you will. It will be set around Christmastime, will only feature a handful of the characters in the series at best, and will have Peter meeting none other than a multiversal traveler by the name of...Gwen Stacy, A.K.A. Spider-Woman. Yes, think Emma Stone. I'm really excited for this one; it should be a fun story that will still explore some heavier things too. Right now, my tentative title is something like "The Amazing Spider-Man: Spiders Of Two Worlds," thought it could change slightly. Regardless, be on the lookout for something to that affect sometime within the next couple of weeks.
I'll add this as well: if you are concerned about a love triangle as a result of this, fear not. I intend to put those concerns to bed early on in the story. I'm sorry if that's what you're into, but to me at least, Mary Jane Watson is to Peter Parker what Lois Lane is to Superman, and I intend to keep it that way.
The next entry in proper to this series, The Amazing Spider-Man 5, well...it'll probably be the darkest and heaviest of this series yet. Some of you might not like some of the decisions that will be made in that story, particularly regarding one character but it's what I've been planning since the beginning, so brace yourselves. The ride in that story will not be a pretty one.
Again, thank you all so much! Your support means a great deal to me, and I hope that I can continue to entertain this fandom for a long time to come.
God bless!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-17