Once again, thank you for all of the great feedback and reviews. I really
love it, they cheer me up whenever I read over them. You guys keep me
writing this!
Thanks! Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...the MJ/Peter stuff!
Disclaimers all are in part 1.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mary Jane walked down the sidewalk, feeling as though she were on Cloud Nine. Although it wasn't Broadway or the actual theater like she had first imagined herself doing, she had finally landed herself an acting job. She had gotten a part in a TV show, her first appearance ever. It was a small TV show, but Mary Jane knew that every actor had to get his or her start somewhere. Keeping her promise, the first person she was going to tell was Peter; however, instead of calling, she was going to visit and surprise him.
She felt as if she could do anything. She was finally going to be an actress. This would be her big break, and she knew that Peter would support her all the way. Now, if only she could work up the bravery to sit down and talk to him about his secret.
She walked into the apartment building where Peter's loft was located and stepped into the elevator. MJ hoped that Peter would be there so they could talk.
Once she was on the top floor, Mary Jane stepped out of the elevator and walked up to Peter's door. She was glad that Harry had moved out of the loft and Peter now lived by himself. She realized that it was probably easier for him also since he wouldn't have to worry about someone else finding out about Spider-man.
She knocked on the door and a second later, Peter opened the door. "MJ! Hey!" he said, stepping aside to let her inside.
"Hey Peter," she greeted, walking through the doorway. She turned back around to face him. "I got a part!"
"You did?" Peter asked before MJ smiled and nodded. "MJ, that's great!"
"It was so amazing...they called me back simply to tell me that I got a part as a character for a couple of episodes," Mary Jane explained. "And then he started talking about how they can write me in for more episodes if the viewers like me."
"Well, they are going to love you, all of them," Peter said honestly. "I'm so proud of you. This is it, MJ, your dream."
"Yeah, and I've got to admit, it feels pretty good," Mary Jane said.
"Well, how about dinner?" Peter asked. "How would that feel?"
"Dinner would feel good right about now, also," she said.
"The sky is the limit...well, up to twenty dollars or so," Peter explained. Mary Jane laughed as he said, "Let me grab my jacket."
"Okay," Mary Jane said. She walked over to the door and opened it. "I was thinking, how about that new Italian restaurant that's three streets over? I think it's called 'El Dente's' or something like that. Ever tried that?"
"No, but it sounds good," Peter said, following MJ out the door and closing it behind him.
***
"Well, that was the best Italian I've ever had," Mary Jane said as she walked through the door of Peter's apartment. The two spent two hours at El Dente's, talking about what they had been up to and everything that had gone on in their lives since the end of high school.
"Yeah..." he said distractedly.
"Peter? Earth to Peter?" Mary Jane said, waving her hand in front of his face.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong? You've been out of it ever since we left the restaurant," MJ stated. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter said.
"Are you sure?" MJ asked, the concern evident on her expression.
Peter nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be fine?" Through the open window, he heard police sirens start to go off. There were car horns honking, people yelling, and screams echoing through the air. Then he heard something that sounded like screeching tires against the pavement. Should he have ignored it? Peter knew that he and Mary Jane weren't in any immediate danger, but he felt as if it were his duty to help out as much as he possibly could. "But...but I just remembered that...that I left some shirts at the dry cleaners and I have to pick them up before they close at 9:00."
Mary Jane smiled. Was this her opportunity? "Okay," she said.
"Look, this won't take long..." Peter started. "You can wait here."
"Okay," she repeated. Peter turned around and started walking towards the doorway. Mary Jane took a deep breath before asking, "So, what's the real hurry, Spider-man?"
Peter spun around, wide-eyed. "What?! What are you talking about?" Mary Jane just stared at him with this "how-long-did-you-think-it-would-take- before-I-found-out" look. He sighed and shook his head. "Look, stay *here* and...we'll talk when I get back." He walked through the doorway and slammed the door behind him.
Mary Jane ran over to the open window and looked up into the evening sky. From the roof of the building, Peter swung out on a thread of spider webbing dressed in the red and blue Spider-man suit. She smiled as she watched him soar down the street on spider webs. "Very cool," she said to herself.
***
Peter came back from the police car chase in less than one hour. He came in through the window of his bedroom to change out of the outfit that he wore. He landed on the floor with a *thump* that Mary Jane heard from the living room below his bedroom. Peter quickly changed into a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue, long sleeved shirt.
She knows, he thought as he stood in his room. The one person I didn't want to find out no knows. He was worried at what her reaction would be. Would she be angry that he had never told her? Confused? Pleased that she finally knew everything? All Peter knew was that he never wanted this to happen, at least not like this.
Collecting his thoughts and regaining his calmness, Peter headed downstairs. Mary Jane was sitting on the couch watching the News. "Hey," he said.
"Hey, Tiger," she said without her usual tone of happiness.
"Sorry...there was a-"
"A bank robbery," Mary Jane said. "Yeah, I saw it on the news, or, well...the car chase anyway. Nice job out there." She turned off the TV and looked up at him.
Peter faintly smiled. "Look, MJ-"
"Peter, you might not think that I do, but...I understand why you never told me," Mary Jane said.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I mean...okay, when Goblin had those kids and me up there and he made you choose between the two of us," Mary Jane started. Her thoughts were jumbled and she didn't know how to fully explain what she was thinking about. "I figured that the reason he chose *me* was because he...whoever that creep was, found out who *you* were. I don't know *how* he found out, but he did...and he kidnapped me to try and kill you."
"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Peter said.
"And...those things you said to me at the graveyard...I think that it was just to protect me," Mary Jane said. "It was to keep yourself from getting too close to me so that I would stay safe if anything else ever came up again. Am I getting warm?"
"You are very insightful tonight," Peter said, nodding. "When?"
"When did I realize who you were?" she asked. "That day in the graveyard when we kissed. I felt...God, this is so corny," she muttered, lowering her head.
"No, keep talking," Peter said. He walked over and sat down beside her.
"Okay..." she said. "I felt something and...I had only felt like that one other time...well, two. When I kissed you in the alley during the thunderstorm and that day when we were talking in the hospital room. Everything you have ever said to me was so real...like I could really hold you to that and trust you. You wouldn't treat me the way my father and everyone else does."
"Oh Mary Jane," Peter said. He leaned toward her and swept a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I would never treat you like that."
"And I know that...that's why I told you..." her voice died off. "I love you, Peter, I'm not going to hide it, because I thought like hell that you felt the same way about me."
And I do, Peter thought, unable to say the words to her face. "MJ...with me being Spider-man, I can't put anyone at risk. If anything, *anything*, were to happen to you...I would never be able to forgive myself. I *can't* put you in any type of danger that serious again."
"I'm a big girl," Mary Jane said. "It's not your job to protect me. Before you got those powers of yours, you would have been powerless to help me anyway."
"But it's because of me that you were placed in danger," Peter said. "It may not be my job, but now that I have this, I'm not going to stop."
"No, and I don't think you should stop," Mary Jane said. "This gift of yours was meant to happen, I'm sure of that. You help people so well. You....you are a true hero, Peter. But...if you aren't there when a subway train crashes tomorrow, are you going to blame yourself? If there is a car accident later tonight and you don't...feel it, or whatever you do to get to places, are you going to place the blame on yourself? Life goes on, and you've got to live life also, Pete. The world has gone on for centuries without you, and will continue to press onward even if you aren't always there."
"Mary Jane..." Peter started. His love for her increased if that was even possible. He loved it when she was so insightful like this; it was a side of her that very few people ever saw.
"And I love you, and I want to be with you," she added. "And I just have this feeling that you are hiding every feeling from me, like you have been ever since we graduated from college." Mary Jane sighed, seeing that she was getting no where with him. "Peter, wouldn't it be better to live six months in love, than the rest of your life without it?" She stood up and grabbed her purse that sat on the floor.
"MJ..." Peter started again.
"Think about it," she said, walking towards the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OK...I don't know what everyone else thought, but I really wanted to make MJ seem like a smart gal...people don't see past her layer of girly-ness, but Peter does. Hope I made that clear as I could.
TBC...
Thanks! Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...the MJ/Peter stuff!
Disclaimers all are in part 1.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mary Jane walked down the sidewalk, feeling as though she were on Cloud Nine. Although it wasn't Broadway or the actual theater like she had first imagined herself doing, she had finally landed herself an acting job. She had gotten a part in a TV show, her first appearance ever. It was a small TV show, but Mary Jane knew that every actor had to get his or her start somewhere. Keeping her promise, the first person she was going to tell was Peter; however, instead of calling, she was going to visit and surprise him.
She felt as if she could do anything. She was finally going to be an actress. This would be her big break, and she knew that Peter would support her all the way. Now, if only she could work up the bravery to sit down and talk to him about his secret.
She walked into the apartment building where Peter's loft was located and stepped into the elevator. MJ hoped that Peter would be there so they could talk.
Once she was on the top floor, Mary Jane stepped out of the elevator and walked up to Peter's door. She was glad that Harry had moved out of the loft and Peter now lived by himself. She realized that it was probably easier for him also since he wouldn't have to worry about someone else finding out about Spider-man.
She knocked on the door and a second later, Peter opened the door. "MJ! Hey!" he said, stepping aside to let her inside.
"Hey Peter," she greeted, walking through the doorway. She turned back around to face him. "I got a part!"
"You did?" Peter asked before MJ smiled and nodded. "MJ, that's great!"
"It was so amazing...they called me back simply to tell me that I got a part as a character for a couple of episodes," Mary Jane explained. "And then he started talking about how they can write me in for more episodes if the viewers like me."
"Well, they are going to love you, all of them," Peter said honestly. "I'm so proud of you. This is it, MJ, your dream."
"Yeah, and I've got to admit, it feels pretty good," Mary Jane said.
"Well, how about dinner?" Peter asked. "How would that feel?"
"Dinner would feel good right about now, also," she said.
"The sky is the limit...well, up to twenty dollars or so," Peter explained. Mary Jane laughed as he said, "Let me grab my jacket."
"Okay," Mary Jane said. She walked over to the door and opened it. "I was thinking, how about that new Italian restaurant that's three streets over? I think it's called 'El Dente's' or something like that. Ever tried that?"
"No, but it sounds good," Peter said, following MJ out the door and closing it behind him.
***
"Well, that was the best Italian I've ever had," Mary Jane said as she walked through the door of Peter's apartment. The two spent two hours at El Dente's, talking about what they had been up to and everything that had gone on in their lives since the end of high school.
"Yeah..." he said distractedly.
"Peter? Earth to Peter?" Mary Jane said, waving her hand in front of his face.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong? You've been out of it ever since we left the restaurant," MJ stated. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter said.
"Are you sure?" MJ asked, the concern evident on her expression.
Peter nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be fine?" Through the open window, he heard police sirens start to go off. There were car horns honking, people yelling, and screams echoing through the air. Then he heard something that sounded like screeching tires against the pavement. Should he have ignored it? Peter knew that he and Mary Jane weren't in any immediate danger, but he felt as if it were his duty to help out as much as he possibly could. "But...but I just remembered that...that I left some shirts at the dry cleaners and I have to pick them up before they close at 9:00."
Mary Jane smiled. Was this her opportunity? "Okay," she said.
"Look, this won't take long..." Peter started. "You can wait here."
"Okay," she repeated. Peter turned around and started walking towards the doorway. Mary Jane took a deep breath before asking, "So, what's the real hurry, Spider-man?"
Peter spun around, wide-eyed. "What?! What are you talking about?" Mary Jane just stared at him with this "how-long-did-you-think-it-would-take- before-I-found-out" look. He sighed and shook his head. "Look, stay *here* and...we'll talk when I get back." He walked through the doorway and slammed the door behind him.
Mary Jane ran over to the open window and looked up into the evening sky. From the roof of the building, Peter swung out on a thread of spider webbing dressed in the red and blue Spider-man suit. She smiled as she watched him soar down the street on spider webs. "Very cool," she said to herself.
***
Peter came back from the police car chase in less than one hour. He came in through the window of his bedroom to change out of the outfit that he wore. He landed on the floor with a *thump* that Mary Jane heard from the living room below his bedroom. Peter quickly changed into a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue, long sleeved shirt.
She knows, he thought as he stood in his room. The one person I didn't want to find out no knows. He was worried at what her reaction would be. Would she be angry that he had never told her? Confused? Pleased that she finally knew everything? All Peter knew was that he never wanted this to happen, at least not like this.
Collecting his thoughts and regaining his calmness, Peter headed downstairs. Mary Jane was sitting on the couch watching the News. "Hey," he said.
"Hey, Tiger," she said without her usual tone of happiness.
"Sorry...there was a-"
"A bank robbery," Mary Jane said. "Yeah, I saw it on the news, or, well...the car chase anyway. Nice job out there." She turned off the TV and looked up at him.
Peter faintly smiled. "Look, MJ-"
"Peter, you might not think that I do, but...I understand why you never told me," Mary Jane said.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I mean...okay, when Goblin had those kids and me up there and he made you choose between the two of us," Mary Jane started. Her thoughts were jumbled and she didn't know how to fully explain what she was thinking about. "I figured that the reason he chose *me* was because he...whoever that creep was, found out who *you* were. I don't know *how* he found out, but he did...and he kidnapped me to try and kill you."
"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Peter said.
"And...those things you said to me at the graveyard...I think that it was just to protect me," Mary Jane said. "It was to keep yourself from getting too close to me so that I would stay safe if anything else ever came up again. Am I getting warm?"
"You are very insightful tonight," Peter said, nodding. "When?"
"When did I realize who you were?" she asked. "That day in the graveyard when we kissed. I felt...God, this is so corny," she muttered, lowering her head.
"No, keep talking," Peter said. He walked over and sat down beside her.
"Okay..." she said. "I felt something and...I had only felt like that one other time...well, two. When I kissed you in the alley during the thunderstorm and that day when we were talking in the hospital room. Everything you have ever said to me was so real...like I could really hold you to that and trust you. You wouldn't treat me the way my father and everyone else does."
"Oh Mary Jane," Peter said. He leaned toward her and swept a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I would never treat you like that."
"And I know that...that's why I told you..." her voice died off. "I love you, Peter, I'm not going to hide it, because I thought like hell that you felt the same way about me."
And I do, Peter thought, unable to say the words to her face. "MJ...with me being Spider-man, I can't put anyone at risk. If anything, *anything*, were to happen to you...I would never be able to forgive myself. I *can't* put you in any type of danger that serious again."
"I'm a big girl," Mary Jane said. "It's not your job to protect me. Before you got those powers of yours, you would have been powerless to help me anyway."
"But it's because of me that you were placed in danger," Peter said. "It may not be my job, but now that I have this, I'm not going to stop."
"No, and I don't think you should stop," Mary Jane said. "This gift of yours was meant to happen, I'm sure of that. You help people so well. You....you are a true hero, Peter. But...if you aren't there when a subway train crashes tomorrow, are you going to blame yourself? If there is a car accident later tonight and you don't...feel it, or whatever you do to get to places, are you going to place the blame on yourself? Life goes on, and you've got to live life also, Pete. The world has gone on for centuries without you, and will continue to press onward even if you aren't always there."
"Mary Jane..." Peter started. His love for her increased if that was even possible. He loved it when she was so insightful like this; it was a side of her that very few people ever saw.
"And I love you, and I want to be with you," she added. "And I just have this feeling that you are hiding every feeling from me, like you have been ever since we graduated from college." Mary Jane sighed, seeing that she was getting no where with him. "Peter, wouldn't it be better to live six months in love, than the rest of your life without it?" She stood up and grabbed her purse that sat on the floor.
"MJ..." Peter started again.
"Think about it," she said, walking towards the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OK...I don't know what everyone else thought, but I really wanted to make MJ seem like a smart gal...people don't see past her layer of girly-ness, but Peter does. Hope I made that clear as I could.
TBC...
