"I got a raise today." Parker is sitting at Joes with his best friend Tori and their relatively new friend Ella who proved herself worthy to be in the small group about three months ago when the three of them got cornered by a gang of burglars out in an alley the night the girls decided kissing strangers was how the evening was going to go and it wound up with each other before Ella's wounding up her fist to beat the shit out of a guy dumb enough to try and rob someone with just a knife.

Son of a bitch was unfortunate enough to make that someone Ella and who ever she just so happened to be around that evening. New in town, and familiar with rough situations Ella's little british ash went wild enough to make those idiots run. Five against three seemed impossible but Tori's Portoriccan and her punches went pretty hard. As for Parker, he took the liberty of being a little bit disrespectful and spit in the face of the guy coming at him with a crowbar.

There was some confusion on the opposers field and then a fearful retreat. Parker worked it up to be Ella's knife play, but something tells him he's the reason Marcus Anthony no longer serves tables at the diner two doors down. He also cleaned up after plastics specialist Dr. Jackson Avery a time or two on the Anthony face case. Never saw the patient but can imagine.

Now here it is a small celebration from his two dearest friends at the wonderful news. They clap and cheer for him and Ella pulls him into a hug before messing up his hair.

A lounge singer gets on the stage by the name of Michelle Jones and she's something more than gorgeous. The three Peter Parkers walk through the front door and all three sets of eyes find the glisten of a silver dress and the eyes of someone they've already met. Short Peter sees his very own true love but in this universe she's in seattle Washington and she'll never fall in love with their Spider man because Professor Aracne doesn't weave that way.

"Oh god." Groans Parker as he curls into himself on the table next to his glass of whisky.

"What?" Asks the girls confused and bewildered, pausing their conversation about the high school mascot being kidnapped.

He looks up and takes a deep breath as the song starts to play, "It's the guys that broke into my apartment this morning."

"What the fuck?" The girls say in unison.

Make it stop

sounds so good, I just can't take no more.

Turn it down, turn it up, I don't know.

She's absolutely stunning. That chestnut hair draped over her left shoulder in a diamond sparkle. Those penny lips and tawney cheeks. The way she sings like it's been just the most dreadful day. Short Peter is seeing a ghost. As if his own has actually died and not just forgotten him. Up there, on the stage of the afterlife, singing for him and only him in her cloak of cloud and ice.

"These universes man." Says the hairy Peter.

The tall Peter nods, "They seem to just dive deeper and deeper."

"Into something awful!" Spits the short Peter.

But don't stop

don't move, just keep it there.

Keep it right there.

Keep it right there.

"So, there's a new gay club that opened up down the street from here." Says Ella, "It's called La Manzana's, the theme is Greek Mythology. It's so hot. The dancers are like human animal hybrids."

Tori and Parker share a glance and say in unison, "That's scary as fuck."

As Tori explains how her husband wouldn't be too happy about her going to a club while he's at the hospital taking care of the kids the Peters sit down at the table next to them. Ella reveals, yet again, that he's her ex-husband and he cheated on her while she was in the house so he can kiss her fucking ass and then turns to look right at the tall Peter in his suit to say, "Well damn, it suddenly warmed up."

"Yeah!" Shouts the short one, "We're here to talk to your friend."

The girls look at Parker.

Yeah, wanna put this song on replay

I can listen to it all day

I can listen to you all day

Yeah, you all day

"Uh. Yeah. I checked your tox screens. They all came back negative. I don't know what kind of performance art you're trying to pull but it's been fun. You found me. What do you want?" Parker sighs.

They share a glance. Clearly, he doesn't understand so they all agree it'll be a lot easier just to go with it.

The hairy Peter gets closer, "We need to find Dr. Strange."

"The author? What makes you think all authors know each other?" Asks Parker.

Hairy Peter takes a deep breath and explains, "Look. It's hard to explain and I would if I knew how but words aren't my thing. They're your thing. We're decent people and we know that somehow, for some reason you're a very important find. We're kind of trapped in a dark situation. We need you to help us find him."

"My friends and I are going to a new club to celebrate my promotion today. What you do is your business." Parker stands and the girls rise with him.

The three of them respectfully leave and the door shuts on Michelle standing so elegantly in the spotlight as her song comes to an end. A sparkle, a bell, and the wheel of a bycycle as it spins by on the sidewalk. Lights twinkle out on the holiday streets and figures dance in windows. Toys wrapped in big boxes with big, beautiful bows pass them on the street and Parker's hoodie isn't deep enough to protect him from the cold chill of such a strange day.

They arrive at La Manzanas and since the girls are so beautiful, he's lucky enough to get passed the rope. The bouncer pretended he didn't even exist and ghosts are used to that. Only once he got inside, he heard the up-tempo and his hands couldn't find titos fast enough. It'd been three years since he'd heard the rythm and four since he's felt the hands of someone else on his body the way they do so freely here. The base rumbles the floor, the lights swirl around the intricate web of vines and fake trees hung up to resemble the forest of ancient Greece. The Gods of Olympus are the tantalizing lyrics and the neon symbols on the bare chests of beautiful young men.

The girls and Parker have chemistry only on the dance floor. They're hot. Hotter than Parker's used to being. He's suddenly so very polar from his everyday life. In here his hoodie comes off and the baggy tank comes on. His heavy sneakers know exactly when to drop and his fingers seem to know exactly where to reach. He spins and there's someone who just falls right in sync with him and he's very much enchanted by the yellow puppy eyes and sandy blonde surfer boy hair. Who is this and where is its owner?

Open concept shirt, tight chest, shark tooth necklace. He resembles a Finnick Odair type, or maybe Jesse McCartney. Either way, he's into Parker and Parker's into him.

They dance for an hour and then Parkers hailing a taxi out on the curb, alone. Thinking about how he never even got the name of the Cinderella boy that disappeared at midnight. The pulse is still going on behind him and then he hears shoes. Coming down the staircase. Stomping out a cigarette. Walking over towards him. Part of him hopes it's the blonde boy. Part of him worries he's about to be murdered. All of him turns around to find the short Peter.

"Look dude. I tried to be nice, but this has gone on long enough. Are you going to help us or not." He speaks fast, like he's nervous.

Parker furrowed a brow, "Why do I make you so uncomfortable."

The taxi pulls up and he climbs inside yelling before he crawls in, "I'm not uncomfortable!" then he disappears into the darkness for a moment only to reappear, "You coming or not?"

So, then Parker gets in the taxi and leaves La Manzana's behind.