His eyes blinked for a moment before they fell back onto her hands. They were now grasping each other with bits of sand particles in between the cracks. Everything made sense somehow. When his eyes went back up, her's were on her own hands. He couldn't believe it. It was such a shock to his system, he thought he had lost his voice, as meager as it was. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he did, he didn't have a voice. Swallowing hard, he tried again. "Kris…"
Her eyes flew up to face his head on. "There! It's all out in the open. This thing was eating me alive for who knows how long. I thought for sure you knew."
When he opened his mouth again, it felt like he had cotton in it. "No…I didn't know."
She looked away for a moment to laugh. "Do you know how annoying and unbearable it was for me to sit here and say nothing? I had too much curiosity and too much boldness bottled up for too long. God, I just…I wanted to get it over with…" She looked back toward him…straight into his eyes. She didn't know if her true infatuation held for his lips or his eyes. "Did you know that you have the most penetrating, insightful, damnable eyes I have ever encountered? They see straight through me, which leaves my brain racking for responses and defense mechanisms and…too much stuff entirely."
"Kris-"
"I know I've probably just messed things up now-"
She was babbling on and on and he loved every minute of it. It wasn't the fact that she was in pure misery because of this and that she felt weak, but it was because it was her way of showing how she felt; it was the only way she could show it. He loved it and admired her for her attempt. 'I wouldn't do him justice' is what she had said earlier. He smiled at how wrong she truly was.
Pushing an escaped strand of her hair behind her ear, he said quietly, "No you haven't."
"But you know what? That's okay. Just as long as I stay my suave self, I'll be cool. M.J.'s not that only good little actress around here." Her hand landed on her face. "Geez, I'm babbling again all because of those deep blue orbs you call eyes, nice lips, soft hair and…all those other things that will be left unsaid because this madness has to stop somewhere…" She said her peace…finally. It was all out of her system now.
"Kris?"
She was looking at her folded hands now. "Y-yes?"
He leaned closer to her. He whispered slowly, "Look at me."
She kept her head down. "No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Why not? You can't, you won't…or you don't want to?"
She chuckled. If he only knew how hard it truly was… "Oh I'd love to, but this all leans toward can't and won't."
"Why won't you look at me?"
"I don't trust myself."
"What do you mean?"
She said matter-of-factly, "I don't trust myself around you. Everything seems…like…I don't know. Before, I could contain how I felt and now everything is running amuck. I guess my subconscious thinks to let it all go…why keep anything else bottled up? I feel threatened by it though. I don't like the thought of my feelings and mouth running like a wild child…"
"Why can't you look at me?"
"Because every time I look at you, and those damn scrutinizing eyes of yours, I lose myself."
He leaned in closer to her until he was only a breath away from her face. Reaching for her chin, he whispered, "Kristina…look at me." He lifted it gently and stared at her dark eyes. They were a swirling mass of brown that he couldn't get enough of. Smiling slowly, he asked, "Now…was that so hard?"
His eyes were the bluest things she had ever seen. They were clean and crystal like, just like the ocean she was looking at not too long ago. She smiled slightly. "Yes…and its getting even harder…"
He smiled back at her…'Still has humor,' he thought. He moved his hand from her chin to her cheek. Rubbing it slightly with his thumb, he murmured, "No it wasn't, you're just being difficult."
"Well you know me. Gotta have every-" she started, but was soon cut off. Peter's hand had pulled her face as close to his as it could go, capturing her lips with swiftness that took her off guard. His lips were just as she had hoped they would be…smooth and soft. They slightly parted and began to massage her's with ease. It was a deliberately slow action, and she loved every second of it. She could feel her body began to loosen some as she felt her own lips part slightly, but she hadn't moved. The last thing she needed to do was ruin this by doing something wrong.
He didn't know what he was doing…he just reacted. This was very much out of his character, but he didn't care…until he realized that she hadn't responded at all. Now he cared and now he felt like a fool. He didn't normally do such abrupt things like that, but he couldn't help it. Perhaps he had offended her by just acting and not asking…not too many like that. Turning red, he pulled away slowly, still staying close to her face. "I'm sorry…"
Her eyes fluttered back open slowly. He was apologizing. That normally was not a good thing. "W-why?"
His hand was still on her cheek when he looked down slowly. "It was rude and-"
She smiled slowly. He was worried about being rude! She put a hand to his mouth. Interrupting him, she said slowly, "Was like pudding."
His face reddened as he kept his gaze downward. Leaning his mouth to the side of her face, he whispered to her ear, "Like pudding huh?"
She nodded slowly, "Uh huh . . . maybe even better."
"So if I were to do it again, which I would like to, you wouldn't mind?"
Turning her head so she would be looking in his face, she said softly, "Not in the least…"
M.J. yanked the curtains closed on the window. Everything had left her in that one swift moment and now what was she going to? She walked from the window back to Harry. She was hurt, upset, and felt like releasing some feelings. She was not inside herself, but beside herself. Even she couldn't see what the future was going to bring her. If she couldn't even stop her feet from striding so confidently to Harry, how could she think ahead?
Her eyes fell on Harry's broad back. He was looking at the fireplace, adding more wood to it when M.J. slid her hands around his waist. He patted her hands. Grinning quickly he said, "Well hello Miss Mary Jane."
She nuzzled his neck before placing kisses on it. "C'mon Osborn, let's go sit somewhere comfortable." She dragged him to his bed and pushed him down against the bedpost on his bed. Before he could protest to the roughness, she straddled his hips and continued to kiss him. He shut his eyes for a moment until he felt her tugging at his shirt. Taking one of his free hands, he placed it over hers. Breathlessly, he asked, "M.J., don't you want to slow down?"
Moving her hand out of his grasp, she proceeded to unbutton each button quickly. Shaking her head quickly, she answered frankly. "No…I want you Harry…" she looked back up at him. Eyeing him carefully, she said, "Now." She began to assault his mouth with kisses once more.
Her hands roamed his chest and then found their way to his back, where she hugged him closer. He wanted to get closer, share this with her, but not like this. When her lips moved down to his chin and then his neck, he breathed out, "What about Kristi and Pe-"
She quickly pulled his shirt off. "What about them?"
"They are staying here too. And Peter's bed is in here."
She tossed his shirt off to the side, and spoke with indifference. "Kristi is sleeping outside and Peter is probably going to join her," she said between kisses. Her hands roamed down from his chest to his belt.
When he felt her tugging at his belt, he stopped her again. "M.J., I don't know…"
She pulled her head up quickly, her red hair falling in front of her face. "Do you not want me?"
Placing a hand on her cheek he said quietly, "Well yeah I do, but I don't want to go about this the wrong way."
She flashed her teeth at him and placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "There's nothing wrong about it…"
He could feel himself losing his self-restraint when her hands moved for his belt again. She began to kiss him again and he found himself kissing her back with as much fervor as she was giving him. He moved his lips to her bare shoulder and whispered, "I want this to be special."
"It's romantic Harry. Wine, fire light, and beautiful ocean view. What more is there?"
His hand stopped just above the shoulder strap of her spaghetti strapped dress. "Are you sure?"
Her eyes fell on his. "Yes…I'm positive, are you?" Her hands began to roam into his pants.
His mouth dropped slightly as he muttered, "Oh yes…I'm p-positive…" He was weak and he knew it, but damn it, he didn't care.
Removing the belt promptly, she ordered seductively, "Well then…stop talking." With that…her lips crushed his once more, until she began to feel him take over. He flipped her quickly and kissed her once more, each kiss more urgent then the previous one. He reached for her dress…
Kristi and Peter fell asleep on the beach while lying on her hammock. Peter eyes fluttered open only to be met by the morning sun. He lifted his head from on top of her's to look down at her sleeping body. One of her hands was resting slightly on him, faintly holding his t-shirt, while the other was by his around his lower back. His right arm was resting peacefully around her waist and the other one was resting on her hand that was on his chest. He slowly began to rub against her back. It was a subtle gesture, but one filled with emotion nonetheless. Looking back to her face, he couldn't get over how peaceful it looked. A small smile touched his lips. She was peaceful and happy and he loved to look at her. His face fell when something hit him. All of this time, he had forgotten who he was: He was Spider Man and now he was laying on beach with one of the few people he truly cared about. 'What have I done…' he thought. He let himself fall…
He let himself fall for her.
He finally admitted it to himself and now, he didn't know what to do. What could he do? The past taught him to stray clear of relationships for fear of hurting the ones he cared about. He just did it again.
What could he tell her?
There was nothing he could say that would ease the pain he knew she would feel, the pain he knew he would feel. Was he willing to give her up?…he had just found someone who he could honestly say he had no doubts about. Yet, all he could hear was M.J.'s screaming…his Aunt May's pale face lying in a hospital bed…he didn't want Kristina to be on that list. There was no way he could let that happen, but what could he do now? He felt himself not wanting to give this up more than anything now, but what could he do?
M.J. stifled a yawn when she remembered the night before. She slept with Harry…not out of immense feelings for him, but out of fury and resentment. She looked back up at Harry. She remembered the details of that night…
She remembered how he collapsed over her after the unknown goal he strove for was accomplished. She remembered how he lifted his head slightly toward her sweaty one and how he kissed her lightly on the lips. His kisses were so genuine. They then were moved to her neck. They found her earlobe and began to remain there. He whispered gently, "I love you…" His head fell and rested on her shoulder to kiss it before he shut his eyes….
She shut her eyes to shake herself of the thought. He told her he loved her. He never spoke those words to anyone and he gave them to her. What had she done? He deserved better than this…
She had given up the only thing that she would never get back, had someone who cared immensely for her say he love her while demonstrating his love in the only precious physical manner there is and why? Because she was angered to see Kris and Peter kiss… She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. It wasn't until this moment that she felt so regretful and remorseful over her actions. She picked her head up and kissed Harry's ear. "I'm sorry," is all she whispered. She never gave Harry the proper chance because she was too busy having delusions of grandeur over Mr. Peter Parker. She could start over with herself, and give him the right chance. He always deserved it, but because she had been so willing to secretly deny him, he never was given the chance.
Now that she thought about it, she wasn't the one in the position to say whether someone deserved something or not. Because of the current circumstances, she didn't deserve anything. Who was she to be debating that Harry deserved a chance when it should be the other way around? She groaned to herself. Now what was she going to do. Harry should know the truth, but she didn't want to be held responsible for the hatred she knew he would feel. She needed to talk with someone . . . someone who was willing to pay attention and listen and not judge her before hand. The ironic thing was that the person, as bitchy as she had been to her, is on the beach right now laying with Peter Parker...
Kristi's eyes opened slowly. She was almost frightened by the fact that someone was breathing slowly under her, but soon calmed as she remembered what happened that led her to that position. With a small smile, she peered upward to a face that was filled with worry. "Well hello."
Peter's eyes fell onto her face. Giving a small smile, he said, "Good morning."
The lines on his face were deepened, causing his face to have creases. Kristi sat up so she could face him correctly. "What's wrong?"
He didn't have a clue as to where to start. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand over his face. He couldn't say anything now… "Nothing, just sleepy." He added in a yawn for good measure.
"I've never seen someone look so serious because they were sleepy." Kristi turned her head to the side as if to get a better look at him. His blue eyes were lazy, but they alone were the proof she needed to show her that something was wrong.
Kristi opened her mouth to say something, but Peter stopped her. His eyes locked on hers as his voice took on a harsh tone that wasn't supposed to leave his lips. "Nothing okay?"
She touched his arm gently. "Peter…" she started, but soon stopped. Giving him one more look, she turned her back to him and stood up with a big stretch. She felt regret wash over her. She wasn't about to act stupid and think that whatever it was he was thinking about had nothing to do with her and no doubt what she had said to him. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She shook her head at herself slowly before looking out to the ocean. She should have listened to herself and kept it in.
Peter watched her carefully with interest. She began to move around, putting things in her bag, cleaning things off. She was upset. Fidgeting was her trademark when upset or nervous. He knew she had nothing to be nervous of so it had to be the other. "Kristi, look at me."
She shook her head. "Just stop there.You obviously don't know what to say or you just don't want to say it, so just drop it."
He reached out for her. "You must know its not you…"
Turning around swiftly, she said, "But it's something that I've done."
"I just said it wasn't you."
"There is a difference between something being me and it being something that I've done, an action of some sort. I'm not blind Peter."
Peter sat up and made room for her. "Kristi, come sit here with me." He reached for her arm and pulled her toward him tenderly. Hearing her sigh, he turned her face toward him. " I'm sorry if you feel that you've done something wrong, but believe when I say that you haven't."
He was looking at her so sadly as if something bad had happened. His eyes that were normally shiny, were low and dull as though they had lost their spark. She could feel it in her bones that something was array and it had to do with her. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like…" She turned from him and looked to the water. "I don't know. I can't explain it."
He took a deep breath and prayed that everything would come out right. "Believe me, one day, everything between me and you and everything around us will one day make sense. I promise you that. Until then, I'm sorry for anything that I've done to you or will do to you. You do know that I don't want to hurt you right?"
What was he talking about? Nodding her head absently, she looked at him confused. "I know, but I don't understand."
"I know you don't, but you will one day. I promise. Right now, I can't..." he stopped himself. He couldn't say it. Changing his words, he said, "I need some time." At least this way there was hope. Not only for her ears, but even for his own.
"I wasn't going to push you if that's what you're thinking."
"No, yes, wait." He took a deep breath again. "This isn't coming out right. Time is just something that needs to be my friend." Holding her hand, he said quietly, "I care about you. You must always, always know that I care about you. Will you remember that?"
"I'll remember." Patting her hand, he held it up to his face and gave it a quick peck. That was about all he could say or was willing to say. Everything else would wait. They had time . . . that's really what they needed.
Packing everything up, Peter and Kristi made their way back into the beach house. M.J. was sitting in Kristi and her room with a pink silk robe on. She sat in the corner in a chair staring out of the window. Kristi peered behind the door. Seeing M.J. sitting there, she wondered for a moment what was going on with her. Shrugging her shoulders, she figured that maybe things didn't go as well as between she and Harry as he had hoped. "Hey J."
She nodded her head as sign of acknowledging her. Kristi eyed her for a few moments longer before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.
When she left the bathroom in some jean capris and a brown shirt. She made her way to her bed and sat down. Drying her hair with a towel, she turned to M.J. From the looks of it, she hadn't moved an inch. "You know, you could always you talk with me before. What's up?"
M.J. turned to face her. Instead of looking at Kristi, she put a hand to her face. "I can't . . . I don't know." With a loud sigh, she said, "Look, its you and Peter."
Kristi's eyebrow rose. "What?"
"I saw you two . . . last night. It makes me upset and confused and I can't handle it!" she yelled in frustration. Her voice taking an angry tone, she said with her voice dripping with venom, "You know how angry it makes me? Do you have any clue about how I feel, how lost and helpless I feel?"
Kristi dropped her towel and shook her head. "No, I don't. Help me understand why seeing me and him would make you so dejected."
M.J. sighed helplessly. "Look . . . Peter was the only person who saw the real me on the inside. He saw me, he didn't judge me, and he understood me. He has made me feel so many things that I thought just weren't meant for me to feel. He made me feel special, he made me feel that I should be happy with who I am. And now it was taken from me."
"How he romantically feels about you should have no impact that. I'm sorry if you feel that I took that away from you, but what more solace can I offer?"
She shook her head quickly. "I don't want sympathy. I want you to understood where I'm coming from. I have a feeling you don't though."
Kristi shook her finger at her. "If you think for one second that I don't know what it's like to feel like nothing, then you don't know me." She threw her hands up. "Geez M.J., you have beauty, popularity, and charisma."
She had a very sarcastic laugh, "Not enough since you have Peter's affection."
"M.J....you have so much going for you. Because of how one person feels about you should not bring you down."
M.J. turned from the window and sat on the bed next to Kristi. "I need to come to you because I can trust you." She looked down at her hands. "Even though I haven't been the most civil person..."
Kristi patted her on her shoulder. "Not worrying about that right now .Now what else is wrong?"
She bit her bottom lip. "My feelings are mixed with Harry."
Kristi looked up at the ceiling. "He's your boyfriend, yet from the sounds of it and the way your talking about Peter, it seems as though you harbor no feelings for him at all."
M.J. was on the verge of tears. She moved her foot back and forth across the floor. "I feel more for him than I ever have before, but . . . " a tear rolled down her face, "for all the wrong reasons. I didn't feel anything..."
She wasn't making any sense. Kristi looked down when she heard M.J.'s voice cracking. Peering at her low hanging face, she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"
M.J. didn't even know if she could get it out. Swallowing hard, she said quickly fully of stutters, "Kris...I...I slept with Harry."
Finally, it clicked. Kristi leapt off of the bed. "You WHAT!"
M.J.'s face tightened up with anger as she hopped off of the bed herself. Staring Kristi down with her red eyes she said between sniffles. "Look, I don't need you making me feel anymore guilty than I already do now, okay? I don't need it now. Believe me, I feel bad enough already." She tightened her eyes.
"Why would you do this? Why? Why to him and . . . why to yourself?"
M.J. began to pace around the room. "I was upset and angry and just gone. I lost something that I will never get back because I was pissed off about something." She turned back to face Kristi. "How do you think I feel about this? I..." she trailed off not being able to even finish her thought.
Kristi shook her head at her. Bitterly, she spoke to her crumpled form. "M.J., if you're coming to me for sympathy, look elsewhere."
"I already told you. I don't want sympathy, I just want someone to talk to about this."
"It should be Harry. He doesn't deserve this. He cares about you entirely too much."
M.J. shook her head again before settling back onto the bed. Holding her head in her hands, she said quietly, "I don't want to hurt him."
Kristi scoffed this time. "Fine time for you to think about that now."
M.J. held her head up and looked Kristi straight in the eye. "Regardless of how this all may sound, after all I've done, I do care about him. If I didn't, I wouldn't be so upset. Even you can see that." Kristi stared at her eyes for a long time. They were becoming puffy and were red all around her blue eyes that used to shine brightly. Kristi's feelings subsided when she looked at her. She meant it. Kristi couldn't bare looking at her now. Something in her forced her to turn away. M.J. spoke up quickly. "There is something there for him."
Kristi licked her lips before looking for a hair clip. Stopping in mid-search, she turned to M.J. carefully. "Are you just telling yourself this so you can feel better?"
She shook her head quickly. "No! That's why I've been so confused. Everything I wanted from Peter is in Harry." M.J. slowed her breathing down and took a deep breath. " Since his father's death, he changed into someone else. Before, he followed his father around like a lost puppy, constantly wanting affection but knowing he wouldn't get it because to Norman Osborn, work came before family, and Harry just wasn't his dream child. So, Harry turned to me . . . what he wanted from me was to have me on his arm, nothing more. Our relationship was supposed to be one of the few things his father could say Harry didn't mess up at or didn't fail at. His father loomed over everything Harry had ever done. I knew it from the very start when he would say what I should wear when meeting his father or how I should do my hair . . . in the beginning, it was never for him." A pool of tears over flowed from her eyes. " Now . . . he's changed so. When his father died, we were separated. He came to me and apologized for his actions. He told me from his own lips exactly what I had just said to you. He told me of how he was wrong for how he treated me and he begged for forgiveness for it." She stopped for a moment to wipe her eyes. Wiping her face some, she started again. "He's changed into the man I've always admired in Peter and it scares me. What I was looking for and found in Peter, I'm finding in Harry and I'm so scared. Every time I see his eyes, I see him being so loving and caring, the way he wanted to be but wasn't for fear of his father's disapproval and it scares me. He cares so much..."
Kristi was getting confused. "You're scared because you're starting to like him?"
M.J. shrugged her shoulders. "I've always liked him . . . just not like this. Last night really opened my eyes. I've been resisting him because I was being blind and ignorant and I hate myself for it. The one thing I wanted was staring me in the face the entire time and I just may have screwed it up horribly."
"So simply put, you're falling or fallen for Harry and you don't want to accept it."
"Yes and no. What upsets me is not so much of my falling for him, but that I feel like a thief. He told me he loved me." Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over once more. "God he cares so much . . . we shared something that at that moment meant nothing to me because I was filled with resentment and contempt. He made love to me, I slept with him. Do you see the difference? It wasn't suppose to be like this."
Kristi looked at her form. All of this talking, these rambles were straight from her heart, and Kristi knew it. This was the catharsis that she needed badly and was now getting. All things from the past dissolved from Kristi's mind. What she saw now was someone who cared about someone, but was driven to the point of being gone. M.J. was so confused and experienced so many things with her feelings, that her actions weren't necessarily justified, but were finally understood. Kristi could feel nothing but remorse for her and could only hope that things worked out for her and Harry . . . that everything worked out for the best.
When it came down to it, after all the arguments, all the times they had together, she was a nice person. There were so many times Kristi could remember M.J. helping her, and being nice to her. She really was a nice person, but suffered from an overabundance of feelings. Nice people didn't deserve to feel this much pain. Patting her on the back, Kristi said encouragingly, "Well . . . you can move on from this. Build from what you've learned about yourself and hope for the best." Kristi's eyes wandered to the ground before she began again. "Are you going to tell him?"
M.J. shot up from the bed. "No! I can't. I couldn't bear losing him, his friendship, losing the one thing that ever actually made complete sense to me. It started out mutual, then for his father, then I thought about Peter and it became a tool for jealousy, and now this . . . " She groaned out loud. "How did things get so bad?"
Kristi sighed. "I'm not sure, but things certainly have no where to go but up." She glimpsed at M.J.'s face that was now flushed and swollen. "Why don't you go take a cold shower or bath. That'll make you feel better." M.J. nodded her head absently. Grabbing a few things, she headed to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Kristi exhaled loudly. So it finally all came together. She finally saw what it was that M.J. was doing, and why she was doing it. For once, she had an insight into how she was feeling and what she was feeling and FINALLY, she understood. Maybe now things could start looking up...
Once everyone was packed up, they loaded the car and left their temporary seaside home. So many things had happened within those five days. Everyone had grown some, and now they had only the future to look to. Hopefully, it would be promising...
Once they had returned to New York almost everything went back to normal. As far as Harry was concerned, he and M.J. were better than ever. M.J., seeing Harry in this new light, was finally at peace with herself and her heart. Kristi and Peter were another thing...
Time was what he said he wanted, so she gave it to him. For three weeks, all she could hear were his words echoing in the back of her head. Every time she looked at him, every time they sat next to each other in class, she saw his promise in his eyes and an inkling of regret. During classes, he would try to bring back the original setting they were used to, but it was a task becoming too hard for even the strongest of willed people.
Kristi used her night life as an outlet. Her emotions were awry and now, she figured she could use this as therapy. Spider Man never said anything about her disposition, maybe it was because he was thinking the same thing about himself...
Inconnu had a plan and trap set. He wanted to see her in action and of course what better way to lure her than by harming her friend the spider? If he could get his hands on the Spider, she would be sure to follow. That was evident. The Doctor would get his spider to torture and turn bad, and he would get his Kristina. But that part would have to come later...Patience is after all a virtue.
Normal muggers were hired to bust into a jewelry store, steal a few items, and run. Of course, they would run to a certain location, and then, the fun would begin.
Black Rose had stayed behind to clean up on another heist, so conveniently planned. Spider Man's spider sense went off. Looking to the distance, he started for the source of it. "I'm gonna go check something else out. You got it here?"
"Yeah," she said through the mask. "I got it." He swung off into the distance. There were a couple of robbers running off with a bag of jewels on top of a building a few stories shorter than the one he was perched on. He leapt down and landed in front of them. As he was down there, his sense went off again. The thugs, as usual, began to swing at him, he dodged every punch, yet his sense was still going off. As his fist made contact with one thug, another one had placed something by his feet. It sent a strong pulse by Spider Man's legs, knock him off of his feet. The near by thug jumped on him and stuck him with a hypodermic needle. Spider Man's hand swung quickly to knock the thug off of him. Everywhere he turned, it seemed as though there were more of them. He looked around and realized there were more. It started out as three, yet around him stood six. His legs began to feel loose. What had they stuck him with?
Falling to his knees, he looked up dizzily. They were circling him now, jeering at him. "Aww, look at big bad Spider boy. What's the matter, can't get up?" With that, the thug kicked him swiftly in the stomach. Peter fell to the ground gripping his stomach.
Another thug bent down and pulled his face up so he could look at him. "Not so big and bad when you can't walk huh?" Turning his head from Spider Man for a moment, he yelled to one of the people, "Hey, what was that stuff we put in him?"
"Some sorta thing to make it so he can't move or think straight. Paralyze him or something...we better get our fun in now since it ain't gonna last forever."
The thug holding Spider Man's head up, proceeded to slap him hard across the face. The force left Spider Man on all fours once more. Focusing his mind, he reached his arm up, and shot webbing in the face of the thug who just slapped him. "Ah! What the hell is this stuff?" he yelled while trying to get it off of his face. Two more thugs came by and swiftly kicked Spider Man again. One knelt down and picked up Spider Man's face. "Let's see who the pretty boy is huh? You fellas wanna see whose ass we're whoopin'?" The group shared a unison of agreeing. "C'mon pretty boy, let's see who you are huh?" He ripped at the mask, tearing parts of the thread. Spider Man raised his hands to punch the thug away, hitting him only sometimes. His aim was off and his mind disoriented. Getting the mask off, the thug didn't have enough time to look at the face because he was soon on the ground.
Black Rose stood in front of Spider Man with her hands up. The thugs began to circle them menacingly. "Oh great…there's two of you. What, are you his long lost sister or somethin'?"
"No relation. Hate to break it to you."
"This has nothing to do with you girly. Don't start fightin' other people's fights. It ain't your problem."
She had stooped down to see if he was all right. She made a small gasp when she saw the blood coming from his face...from the face of Peter. She lifted her head up shakily. Peter was Spider Man... Touching the blood that was trickling down the sides of his face, she stood up angrily. Gritting her teeth after seeing the cut on his forehead, she said with venom, "You mess with him, you mess with me." Adding a bit of humor she added, "It's a two for oney. A great deal really."
"Well…it just you me and my boys now since your lil boyfriend is now a lil out of it."
"Bring it." Peter tried to stand up, but only fell back down.
"Guns up fellas." All of them brought guns up and pointed them at her. Their orders were to shoot, but not shoot to kill.
Kristi closed her eyes and concentrated with all of her might on Peter. Experimenting with the powers led her to find that they were more potent if dealing with emotions. Anger, hate, and love were the ones that generated the strongest effects. Holding out her palms quickly, she made a perimeter around the two of them with her mind. She shut her eyes tighter and soon felt her feelings leaving her fingertips. The sounds of the bullets leaving each barrel were simultaneous with her hand movements.
She heard the gunshots soon fade away with everything else that was in her mind. She exhaled sharply as she felt the bullets slowing to a complete stop in front of her and Peter. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the bullets floating in front of her and Peter. Peter's eyes widened in shock as he glanced back up at her. He knew she could throw people without touching them, but he didn't know she was quick enough to stop bullets in mid-flight. His mind was racing for an answer that never came…
One thug dropped his gun in disbelief. "How the hell are you doing that?"
"Every girl's gotta have her secrets."
"Get her!" Dropping the bullets swiftly with her mind, she sprang into action. She waved her hand slightly, leaving the men charging toward her flying onto their backs.
She glanced down at Peter who was steady trying to stand up. She tried to pick him up, but failed. Wincing, he said, "They put something in me. I can barely move." He was in no shape to seek shelter of his own and she couldn't let them get away while she brought him somewhere safe. She had to get him out of here. A thought flashed in her mind. She had never moved a body with her mind before, not at a steady pace anyway… Concentrating again, she grasped his body with her mind and attempted to levitate him onto a nearby-secluded building away from all of this.
Peter felt a warm rush completely engross him. He looked downward only to see the ground become smaller and smaller.
Because she was carrying Peter, she was caught completely off guard. She was concentrating all of her energy on getting him to safety. Since she had never attempted this before with someone…she was scared a little at the possible things that could happen. Receiving a blow to the head, Kristi fell to the ground with a loud thump. She felt her mind falter, but continued to grip Peter's form until he was safe. She promptly received a swift a kick to the ribs. Groaning out loud from the pain, she kept her mind steady. She waved a hand to push the men away from her, yet, they didn't go as far back as before. She began to move Peter faster and faster. Anger was controlling her power now…
Peter felt his body jolt downward, but soon continue its steady course upward. It soon became faster and faster. When he reached the top of the building, he felt himself being dropped.. Moving as quickly as he could, his eyes flew over the ledge.
Black Rose's eyes opened quickly and began to focus on the opposition. Before she could receive another kick, she caught the foot in air and twisted it roughly. Feeling the ground shake from the force of a man's body hitting the pavement, she hopped onto her feet and began to fight.
Peter sat down on the roof of the building fully aware of what was going on below him. He felt like he was paralyzed. His vision began to dim in and out but he concentrated on keeping them focus. He watched his new friend in awe as she fought. Friend? He referred to her as a friend. He smiled to himself. It felt good to be able to say that. There was something special about her. Not just because of the whole Matrix thing she just pulled, but it was her air about things. There was something elegant about the way she did things. It was calm…suave…graceful…and…beautiful. His eyes rolled backwards and he slumped forward.
The men had begun to run away from her, going down the fire escape to cars that were strangely awaiting them. She thought about going after them, but thought about Peter. He was on the roof unattended and un masked. She ran back across the building top and grabbed his mask. She then went to the building roof that Peter was on. When she reached the roof, she saw Peter lying down face forward. She lifted his face and tapped him around the face to try to awaken him. He was mumbling something . . . from the sounds of it, it was his name and address and then, he stopped talking. He was unconscious. Scooping him up, she held him with one arm, shot out gossamer webbing to a nearby building, and began to swing toward his apartment. Since Harry had moved out, it was only him, which left her at an advantage.
She reached his room and swiftly opened the doors to his balcony. She looked around quickly for his bed. Finding it, she placed him down on the bed gently and focused her eyes on his silent form. She lifted her mask off and stared at him. She checked his pulse…normal. She checked his breathing…it appeared normal. From what she could tell, he was sleeping. She bent down closer to his form and turned her head to the side. She stared at the small cut that was along his left temple. Grabbing for the nearest thing, which happened to be a sock, she applied pressure to it to stop the bleeding. His body stirred and she felt him stiffen. She took her glove off and glided a hand across his forehead and down his cheek. His body gradually relaxed under her touch. He looked so innocent and vulnerable right then. Overwhelmed by feelings foreign to her, she leaned in even closer. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.
He kept slipping in and out of consciousness while lying on that bed. He felt that he was in his room, but knew he wasn't alone. He felt the gentle touch and relaxed under it. What relaxed him even more was the touch of lips on his cheek. He felt his head fall slightly toward the direction of the kiss. He felt the warmth pull away and he opened his eyes slightly. He could make out the form of a woman, but not the face. He felt himself murmur something. "Stay…"
He heard the voice respond, "I will, but only for a small while." His head fell slightly to the side. She hated seeing him like that. Her voice began to crack as she spoke. "Oh Peter..."
Everything was so clouded around him, but he heard his name. "You know who I am now."
"But Peter, I'm-"
Endangering others…his thoughts flew immediately to Kristi. He shook his head as best as he could. "Stop it. No…promise…remember?"
She should tell him. She should tell him right now…"But-"
"No…besides, I know all I need to know."
"What would that be?"
"That you're a friend…" And with that, she felt him release her hand and fall into a deep slumber.
Her breathing increased. Leaning down, she didn't think he could hear her, but she said it any way. "Peter it's me...it's Kristi. It's me. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm so sorry." She bent down and kissed his cheek once more before she left out of the window.
.................................................
Two days later, "Sir, she is magnificent!" a scientist exclaimed happily. "Her brain waves are incredible. According to this, she's using about 25% of her brain which is a dramatic increase I must say to the normal human. The serum we have already made needs only a few adjustments. With in two days tops, it should be ready."
Inconnu's friend began to pace. "Inconnu . . . tell me. Why did you not take Spider Man then?"
"Because, we need him for another time. She must never know that we know who she is..."
"I wanted Spider Man! You promised him to me."
"You'll get your damn arachnid. Stop pestering me about it." Inconnu walked out of the lair behind the scientist leaving him with a few of his assistants.
He began to flex his fists in and out. "Things are going a little too slowly for me. The Spider is weakened now and will be for the next couple of days. They have a protocol serum ready for her . . . why not make things a little interesting for her and Spider Man?"
Kristi tried to get in touch with Peter for the last couple of days. Since their classes ended, it was almost as though he had disappeared. When she went to see Aunt May, she had told her that he said he needed some time from things. She wished he would come back. She understood now...she understood finally why he needed time, why Spider Man had told her that he didn't want that "someone" special getting hurt. Everything was so much clearer now. She had to let him now that she understood and that everything would be okay now.
Peter's classes had finished and he went back to his Aunt May's and stayed there, telling her to tell everyone that came by that he went away for some alone time. He stayed in his room the whole time just thinking. Someone knew who he was and he trusted them. He trusted a face he had never seen. He tried desperately to remember all of what happened that night, for some reason couldn't.
It had been four days when he decided to go back to his place. Once he got there, he put on his suit and went swinging into the night. His spider sense began to ring immediately when went over the Science Institute. Landing on the building top, he had worked his way inside toward the source of the sense.
Black Rose had seen him go into the building as she was swinging from another building. Her sense was also going off, so she decided to go check it out, hoping to give Peter some help and maybe even have the chance to talk to him.
Spider Man walked down the hall carefully, listening intently to the sounds around him. His sense was going off like crazy but he couldn't find the source of it. Hearing foot steps behind him he turned swiftly.
Black Rose went in the same direction as Spider Man. She called out for him when suddenly, she heard Mr. Morris over a speaker. All she heard was the piercing sound of him screaming.
Spider Man heard the yelling and went in the direction of it, but reached a dead end. The screaming stopped but continued promptly after it stopped. Now it wasn't a yell of pain. He realized what the person was screaming..."Run". He turned around swiftly and ran to the other end of the white hallway. Smoke began to enter from the vents.
Black Rose had taken a sharp turn when all of the sudden, there was metal in front of her almost like a door. She never remembered that being there. There was thick glass inside of the metal, allowing her to peek inside at what was going on. There was a green smoke that filled the area. She saw some movement, but saw the figure soon collapse. Then, doors opened quickly and men with gas masks came running in, taking the figure out with them. She had to find a way to them, but how? "Welcome young one," a voice boomed over the speakers.
She turned around swiftly. "Who's there?"
"The one holding your Spider Man and the man who helped turn you into the freaks you are."
They were talking about Mr. Morris. He had nothing to do with it! He was just the person in charge of the Super Spider Project... They must have thought that she and Spider Man were associated with him. "What do you want?"
"What do I want? What do you think I want?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."
"Aren't you flippant? Didn't you learn any manners?"
"I'm not into acting like a lady when I'm not around a gent." Why were they babbling so much?
"Aren't you going to inquire or where the Morris fella and Spider Man are?"
"Where are they?"
"Somewhere...."
"You're not here to play cat and mouse and procrastinate . . . tell me where are they."
"At the moment, they are in a helicopter flying to a nice little warehouse."
"Where are they going?"
"The Borrows warehouse. You might want to hurry though . . . we've got little patience and resistance when it comes to an opportunity for torture."
She was already running out of the building...
Spider Man attempted to focus his eyes, but something was clouding his judgement. When he was finally somewhat oriented, he realized he was on his knees looking at the ground. He groaned with pain. His head was pulsating with pain. "Well hello there. We meet again."
He lifted his head slowly in the direction of the voice. Swaying slightly, he picked himself off of the ground and stood up. "W-who are you?" he said shakily. His body felt unstable and couldn't fight it.
"Who am I? You don't remember me? I'm the good doctor! Remember...Doctor DeMarquise. You don't remember me? Oh well, you thought you had gotten rid of me. Well guess what? I'm back!" Spider Man peered through the dimly lit room. The figure was a good five inches shorter than him. The ceiling of the building was made of glass which admitted the moonlight as the only source of light at the moment. The light danced off of some sort of suit that shone like metal. The figure made a lunge at him, but Spider Man blocked him. Spider Man's actions were becoming slower and slower with every movement.
Every punch he made seemed not to have an effect on the doctor. From what he could see, the suit the man wore felt like normally material but was made with something that absorbs force when applied to it, like his punches. DeMarquise lunged at him once more, taking a swift punch to his jaw and then another one quickly to his stomach.
Spider Man had fallen backwards. For some reason, his mind was reeling with anger. He couldn't control it, he couldn't handle it. It was flowing through his brain with the speed of light. When he attempted to fight it, his body felt overwhelming pain. Something in him let it flow through him. Then he locked his eyes on DeMarquise. He got up and spun some webbing from his wrists toward his opponent. Wrapping him in some of it, Spider man gripped it and spun him around in the air. Releasing the webbing, DeMarquise was released into a nearby wall.
He grunted as he made impact with it. He was turning....A smile crept to his lips. Standing up, he said quickly, "So Spider Man, how does it feel to not be in control of your actions?"
"What would you know about it?"
He chuckled joyfully. "I know enough. I know that now, we can control you."
"What?"
"Oh yes . . . I left out the part of the business deal. Well now, me and my associates want you and your little girlfriend to become partners."
"Please, I don't work for schitzos."
"The Zorro thing was temporary. I've changed . . . I've moved onto bigger and better things. I offered you a truce once before, and you spat it back in my face, and promptly disintegrated most of my business. So...I joined up with bigger boys. Don't you feel at least a little funny? You can't control some of you movements. It's started already."
"What has?"
"Well...you denied me the first time, so I'm doing it by force. Nice gas we had for you huh? It reacts with your brain.. Long story short, we're going to force you into joining us and you can't do anything about it."
Spider Man shook his head as his body began to stagger, "I'm not joining you."
"You don't have a choice." He pulled out some blades from behind him and threw at Spider Man. He dodged them quickly and ran straight for the doctor. He hit him in the gut, slamming into the wall. He grasped the doctor by the throat and slammed him against the wall once more. His head jerking around, he said "LOOK at WHAT your DOing. YOU can't CONtrol IT!"
Spider Man stopped slamming him up against the wall. He had never been this violent. His brain still had the pulsating sensation. Picking up the doctor, He threw him clear across the room. He began to shake his head in an attempt to knock whatever this was out of his head. He felt like his insides were screaming at him. His anger had reached a peak that left him reeling, like he was high on a drug. Then, his body began to drop, not literally, but in a figurative sense. It was almost as though . . . he were changing. Grasping some strength, he began to resist...
The doctor hopped to his feet awaiting another assault. He dropped his stance when he saw Spider Man falter forward. He finally fell onto his knees gripping his head. "Give it up! You are mine now!"
Spider Man shook his head. Finally his entire body shook, resembling something along the lines of a seizure. His impulse was to resist, but his head was in so much pain. It felt like it was expanding more and more, nearing explosion, but never quite getting there. He thought for sure that he should have passed out from sheer exhaustion, but whatever the put in him, kept his body conscious by inducing pain. It was as though they expected him to resist, so a mechanism in his head, obviously the Nerves that encouraged pain, obviously, were the main weapon to getting him to give up. He was to the point of wincing out in pain. He stood up once more, but staggered back down. He refocused his eyes and attempted to calm down. Taking long deep breaths, breathing was becoming harder. It felt as though his lungs were beginning to close up and his throat shut down. Then it occurred to him . . . at this rate, he would hyperventilate, resulting in him having to passing out. If he passed out, perhaps it would stop the pain and perhaps stop the nerves. He began to force himself to breath harder and harder.
It didn't take long for the doctor to figure out what he was doing. He ran towards him and began to slap him around. "Breath regularly dammit. Stop it! Stop it! If you think that this is going to work your-" Spider Man's body fell limp in his arms. "That bastard..." he mumbled.
"Problems doc?" Klefton walked down a stairway that was hidden by the darkness."
"The prick made himself hyperventilate. If he's unconscious, it won't have an effect. This is the serum that is only potent for a short time. Damn idiot. We gotta inject him again."
"With what? The other serum is for the girl."
The doctor shook his head angrily before throwing Spider Man's body down quickly. "One day I'm gonna squash this little nuisance like the bug he is."
"Let's bring him by Morris. It ought to be interesting." Klefton scratched his head. Inconnu was a brilliant man. Surely he wouldn't have been this stupid? "Are you sure Inconnu ordered this? I would have thought for sure that he would want to be here for this."
Dropping Spider Man by a tied Mr. Morris, he proceeded to tie up his hands in duct tape. "Forgive me...I lied." He began to place electrodes to the sides of his red head.
Klefton's eyes shot upward. "You what? This wasn't the plot for him?"
"No...I wanted Spider Man now, but because he's a moron, it won't be until later."
Klefton could ring his neck. "Damn fool. Inconnu is gonna-" he stopped quickly when he saw a black figure through the window land in front of the building. "Too late now . . . she's here. Turn the shield on around the two. I handle her."
The warehouse was off by itself, with the city lights off in the small distance. It was off in the middle of no where it seemed, near an abandoned dock. The place was all together desolate. Black Rose found an entrance which was so handily left open for her. As soon as she stepped inside, the doors slammed shut. There was a lot of mist in the room, which was funny because from what she could see, there were no pipes that led past the docks.
She made her way through the dark corridor to some steps. Peering through the darkness, she saw no one around her. She looked up the steps warily. Her spider sense was going off. She went up the steps.
As soon as she stepped into it, the lights came on. In the corner, she saw Mr. Morris tied up and gagged to a pipe with something being pointed at him. Spider Man, who was barely conscious, was tied down with wires connected to his face. She began to run to them, when Spider Man struggled out a " Stop." Swallowing hard, he said struggled out, "Th-there's some . . . r-round us." Black Rose shot some electricity into it. As soon as the bright light hit the invisible barrier, it lit up in an array of blues and greens. The machine to shut it off appeared to be in there with them.
She began to figure out a way in, when a masculine voice said quickly, "So glad you could make it."
She turned around to the direction of the voice. Her breath caught in her throat. "Klefton?"
His emerald eyes sparkled down on her. "Hello....what is your name?"
"K- Black Rose."
"Yes...well, how do you know who I am...hmm? Perhaps you work at the Institute with our dear friend Morris." He knew damn well how she knew him, but he figured it better to keep it under wraps until Inconnu could get his hand in this. He had made explicit orders for her not to know that they knew who she was. The doctor really screwed up this time, might as well attempt to get it done with now....
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because...it's this simple. My boss, his counterpart, and myself, want you to join us. We want Spider boy also, but he's just a stubborn little punk." He began to circle her. "We've already given him the speech, so I'll repeat it for you. We want you as allies. Join us in an organization of organized crime. Now I know it sounds a little off the top now, but it does have its benefits. You won't have to fight for the system . . . you'll be above it. We have some mighty powerful people offering you whatever you want..."
Her mind began to falter slightly. Shaking it off, she scoffed at him. "You're out your mind."
"Am I really? Think about it. Anything you want, at your fingertips."
She pushed him roughly. "Let them go." Why did she just push him?
He caught her hand in mid air and threw it down roughly. "Business first my child. We have so much to discuss."
"There is nothing to discuss, let them go."
"Damn it . . . you have to make things difficult don't you?" he said with a hard kick to her gut. She flew to the ground. She didn't even see it coming . . . it was like her spider sense had been turned off. Seeing her roll around on the ground, he said with a wide grin, "Aw . . . sad you didn't see it coming? Liked that mist you went through? It wasn't meant to be a shower sweet heart. Sorry if it left you a little on the off side. " He kicked her again. Moving away from her, he said quickly, "Keep your eyes open, the fun is just beginning." Pressing a button on a controller concealed in his hands, a beam shot at Mr. Morris. She flinched as she heard him yell in pain.
She charged at Klefton relentlessly. "Leave him alone!" She threw her hand into the air toward him, sending him flying against his back. Something was wrong with her . . . she couldn't control her anger, but she sure liked sending him in the air. She ran toward his form. Picking him up, she slammed him against the wall. Her actions were feeling more and more like they weren't her own.
Still clutching the controller, he pressed as many buttons on it as he could. This time Spider Man joined in with Mr. Morris's screams. They were high pitched showing them being in excruciating pain.
Spider Man writhed in his seat as sharp pains were pumping throughout his system. His vocal chords screamed mercilessly as his body screamed for mercy. Shaking his head profusely, he managed to tear a few of the patches from his face. He shook his head until all of the patches were gone.
Black Rose slammed Klefton into the wall once more. "Turn it off!" When he failed to do so, she wrapped her hands around his neck and shot electricity into him. Hearing him scream, she yelled over his yells. "Turn it off now!" He dropped the controller and the yells ceased except for his...
Spider Man, now without the electrodes connected to him, began to attempt to break his bonds. He strained as mich as he could until he felt the tape that was wrapped around his hands begin to tear.
Black Rose gritted her teeth tightly. She had built up so much anger and hatred toward him. She stopped shooting electricity in him long enough to slam him into the wall again. "First you go and screw with Morris." She slammed him against the wall. "Then you screwed with my boy Spider Man." She punched in the stomach. Klefton had on a shock absorber suit like the doctor, but even her strength reached passed the suit and affected him more than it should have. Damn...she was strong...
Hearing a whoosh come from his lips, she spoke again. "Then you had the nerve to screw with me by screwing with them! Oh no...this will NOT go unpunished." She lifted him from being pinned against the wall and threw him to the ground.
She thought it was odd that he was able to get back up with hardly any trouble. He locked his eyes on hers. With his pools of green with golden flecks swimming in the mists, he said slowly, "You will listen to me..."
"Hell no buddy." With that, she kicked him in the stomach.
He stood back up and hissed out a "YES!"
She felt something ticking in the back of her head but pushed it aside easily. "What are you, deaf? I said NO!"
"Your mind has grown stronger . . . why don't you show me what you can do sweet heart?"
"Don't call me that!" She lifted him with her mind and slammed him against the walls. Her hands flew into the air once more, shooting electricity from her tips. Her body was beginning to sway now.
Klefton had fallen forward, stumbling a little. "Finish it off!" he dared. "Don't you feel how powerful you are? You don't know how to use it and you need guidance."
She strode toward him. She held her hand out and formed a ball of electricity in her hand. Holding her palm up, she threatened to throw it at him. "Who do you work for? Who is it?"
"The one that will soon control you."
"Wrong answer." She chucked the ball or power at his neck, realizing that his neck was a special spot. She pinned him down against the wall with her mind so he couldn't move. "My patience is running thin at the moment, so answer me! Tell me coward! "
His face scrunched up in pain from the ball of light thrown at him. Swallowing hard, he said quickly, "Coward? Who's the real coward: Me or the one hiding behind the mask?"
She took a step toward him and whispered venomously, "I'm not afraid of you." Her mind was faltering more and more. Things began to fade in and out, but she never showed it.
His eyes locked onto hers once more. "Show me the fury behind the mask!"
She fought the urge to smash his head in the wall like a melon. The more she resisted, the more her mind felt like a frappe. She concentrated on getting her next words out. "Tell me now." Her mind was reeling now...everything was felt like it was falling
She was turning. He felt his invisible bonds loosen to nonexistence, he kicked her away from him. She was being overtaken and he liked it. He ran over to her, and picked her head up. She couldn't concentrate. "You think you're so damn high and mighty! Look around you dear goddess!" he spat at her. Her body was feeling weak. Her head dropped quickly. "Look over there...dammit!" Klefton lifted her head up roughly. "I said look! It's Black Rose's weaknesses." He dropped her head. "Look at you. You weak, sniveling, sorry excuse of a-" with every bit of concentration in her, she shot electricity into him, sending him flying across the room. She heard his screams echo once more.
Her powers were beginning to penetrate the suit. Damn it, if she was this strong and her mind was not completely taken . . . the possibilities were endless.
Staggering to her feet, she said weakly, "N-now what! D-don't call m-me w-weak." The electricity stopped. She was beginning to become dizzy...what was happening?
Spider Man was free! He staggered to Mr. Morris, undoing the tape swiftly. Once he was completely free, Spider Man turned his attention to the box that held them prisoner. With a swift kick, his foot slammed into the side of it, causing it to shatter in the side and cracks of electricity spewed from its innards. Holding up Mr. Morris, he asked quickly, "Sir? Sir, are you alright?" He looked okay, but he was still weak from what ever it was that was shot in him. Placing him in a corner, he sat him up and left him to help his partner.
Klefton had stood up once more and looked at her fallen form. She was being taken over...she had the symptoms for a while now. He had wondered why it hadn't work completely yet."The power...don't you feel it? Don't you wish you could conquer it? But you can't! You can't ever conquer it...conform child...DO IT!"
Everything began to swirl together. Her head was pounding loudly inside her ears as she struggled for self control. The air began to become thin and her breathing labored. She was fighting something, something she had no power over, but she was fighting anyway. Opening her mouth slowly, she choked out, "T-the aa-ir..can't-can't bre-bre-"
"Yes... stop fighting it!" Just then Spider Man kicked the man from behind. Seeing this guy fly forward brought Spider Man some pleasure. He ran toward him and straddled him. Spider Man promptly began to swing his arms in the man's face. One after one, he punched the man relentlessly. He had control over every single one of those punches. Gathering the strength he had, Klefton rolled backwards, sending his feet in the air which in turn sent Spider Man flying off of him. "Back away boy, you have no idea who you're dealing with. You'll soon be with us also. Wait your turn!"
Black Rose ripped her mask off. For the life of her, she couldn't get enough oxygen. It felt as though darkness was consuming her. Her anger was rising and rising. It felt like it would lead her to spontaneous combustion if it didn't stop. It was like a fever that kept rising and rising. She concentrated as hard as she could. And then, it stopped rising.
Spider Man ran to her side and tried to hold her gasping form. Her eyes were shut, but he recognized her face in the moonlight. He nearly passed out when he saw her face. "Kristi..." was all he whispered.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Spider Man looking at her just as the pain was beginning to subside. It was going away finally. Her breathing was still labored.
Klefton saw what was happening... "No...no! Come to me now!"
She sat up part of the way in Spider Man's arms, getting out a "No." Just then, the ceiling crashed in, pouring shards of glass everywhere. Spider Man covered her form with his arms quickly as glass rained down on them. Looking up, she saw a tall dark figure on a glider come from the sky. The first thought in her head was the angel of death..."Who are...y-you?"
"The one who will soon be in control of both of you."
Spider Man stood up in front of her in his way of protecting her. "No."
"You can come with us now and make this painless, or I swear on everything near and dear to you will crumble from beneath your feet and snatched from your grasps! Do you hear me down there! I swear that everything you love will be taken from you. You will pay if you deny me now."
She was still on all fours when she saved enough breath to spit out, "Go to hell."
His lips curved into a smile. "So be it. Fair warning, a worthy opponent I am . . . you have chosen your sides, Be prepared to face the consequences!" Just then, the figure, threw a disk down into the building. In four seconds, large laser beams shot from it, illuminating the room, setting various objects on fire.
Spider Man picked her up. "Can you stand? We gotta get out of here."
"I-I'll be fine." Her breath was coming back to her now. They went to Mr. Morris as one of the beams fell to the ground, causing the wooden floor to crack and send splinters of wood into the air. The floor beneath them fell at a slant to the lower section of the building, causing them to tumble down into its depths. Fire began to envelop the remaining upper level, burning its way downward.
Getting up, Spider Man took Mr. Morris and attempted to run with him out of the building. He turned around quickly he realized Kristi wasn't with him. He saw her struggling with her leg. Something was clamped down on it. He began to run back for her, when the fire began to fall through the remaining ceiling. Dust and embers began to fall on him.
Kristi struggled to pull her leg out of the snare she was caught in. When she saw Spider Man coming she waved him back. "Get Mr. Morris out of here!"
"But you-"
"I'll use my mind, get him out of here!" She attempted to move the massive wood from her leg with her mind. But it didn't work. It must have been so weakened by whatever they put in her, that she couldn't work now. "Oh no..." she mumbled . . . She attempted to pull her leg from underneath it but was met with pain. If she kept pulling, she would pull her leg right out of place. Shooting some webbing to a pipe that was still standing, she attempted to pull herself up, while trying to bend her knees so she could stand up. She tried once . . . it didn't work. She tired once more . . . it didn't work. Giving one final tug, she lifted herself up. Grabbing her leg in pain, she made her way to the exit. Her spider sense went off. When she looked around, she saw a gas tank, then she began to run.
Spider Man ran with Mr Morris far enough away on a pier to be safe from the fire. He turned around in time to see a figure jump quickly from the building as it exploded into flames. The figure got up slowly and attempted to run toward them. She dropped to her knees in front of them out of breath. Spider Man went to her and grabbed her in an embrace. His glove moved across her face. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
She swallowed hard before saying with a sigh, "I-I'm fine." She turned to Mr Morris's elder form. Helping to pick him up, she turned to him, giving him a hug. She could feel the tears beginning to burn in her eyes. "Mr. Morris . . . I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I would be the cause of this happening to you."
He shook his head, while he patted her back. "No child, they were asking me for the names of people who had been experimented on with the spiders. They apparently thought that we were using people with the spiders. I denied it and the next thing I knew, I saw you two on the security camera, trying to tell you to run. Then I blacked out."
She pulled her head back to look at him. "I'm so, so sorry. Please believe me."
"It wasn't your fault! But Kristi..." he eyed her outfit. "What happened?"
"Long story short, along came a spider..."
He was about to ask more questions, but stopped when he heard sirens coming. "You better run children, the sirens are coming."
She gave him a quick hug, "Are you o-"
"I will be...go!" She squeezed his hand before she and Spider Man began to run to the nearest building. When the police and fire trucks came, The two were hidden in the shadows. Getting onto the safety of a building a top, Spider Man handed her back her mask that he had tucked in his suit.
Kristi took her glove off and ran hand across his face, down to his neck. Reaching for the mask, she pulled it up slowly. She saw Peter's blue eyes staring back at her with shock. She ran a hand over his face.
His cheek leaned against her warm hand. He shut eyes tightly, grabbing her hand as he kept it against his cheek. He reopened his eyes and peered at her brown ones. "Kristi...why didn't you tell me? " His hands moved to her shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to . . . that night, in your room, but you wouldn't let me. I whispered it to you, but I didn't know if you'd remember. Then I went looking for you, but your Aunt May said you wanted time alone and that you would be back soon. I wanted tell you..."
His eyes took on a vague look. "Your project with the institute, the one you could tell no one about..."
"Working with the super spiders."
"That night when I called you-"
She nodded her head knowingly. "I was bitten."
He shut his eyes tightly and pulled her in for a hug. "Kris . . . I should have been there when you needed me . . . I'm sorry."
"No . . . I would have hidden it from you anyway."
He pulled away from her for a moment to look into her eyes. "Kristi, that day on the beach-"
She nodded her head. "I understand now Peter . . . I understand. I wish you would have to come me..."
"My biggest fear was you getting hurt because of me. I couldn't. I had to go after I was de-masked. I knew I could trust 'Black Rose' but I . . . I needed some time away from things." He hugged her once more. "God, this whole time it was you.You don't know how happy I am." A smile spread across his face. "Because of my fear . . . I was going to push you away and hope you'd lose interest or something. Now...since you can fight by yourself-"
She smiled at him. "And kick ass."
He chuckled at her. "That too . . . I don't have to worry about that fear coming back. You must understand, I want this to work." He reached for her hands. "I want us to work. You just don't know how much you mean to me. I'm more than willing to try, if you are."
"Of course."
He let out a sigh of relief. "Now . . . whoever this is doesn't know who we are from the looks of it. They never saw your face or mine."
"If they should happen to find out who one of us is, if we should somehow feel that this relationship is damaging to someone else close to us, or our alter egos, what would we do?"
He knew what she was talking about. "I don't want to think about that now. I'm not trying to think of this being over before it really starts. From the looks of the things . . . it already had been starting for a while." He smiled again and pulled her in an embrace.
..............................................
Inconnu paced around in anger. "You damn fools! I gave my orders for you to wait for my command to commence with the plan and now look at what you've done! You've probably ruined everything!" He turned his glare to the doctor. "And you! How dare you give orders to my employees posing as me! How thick headed are you! If I wasn't a calm man, I'd ring your neck out right now. Be glad I saved your damn hide. Get out of my presence." The doctor and Klefton walked out shamed.
The only person left in there was a scientist. "What shall we do now, sire?"
He sighed hard. "Well . . . this Spider Man fellow is who, Peter Parker you said?"
"Yes sir."
"Well make sure you keep that information strictly between you and me. A romantic relationship has spawned between them, am I right?"
"That is what we believe sir."
"They can be conquered separately, but together, well . . . even I wouldn't bet on it. We must do something to split them. Why don't we let the relationship build some? Then we'll tear it down with one big blow, leaving them both miserable and vulnerable. There's nothing better than playing surgeon on a broken heart. What's the report on the serum?"
"Sir, we've been set back for an indefinite amount of time. The doctor took the serum and used it on the two. He also took vital information for the serum and their application. It was destroyed in the building. We must replicate everything now."
"Why don't you have copy?'
"Well, you said to leave only one bit of evidence that could be easily destroyed...that was it. We still have some research, but-"
He shook his head angrily. "So you're saying we're back to square one."
The scientist trembled a bit. He hated being in this man's presence when he was upset. "Not necessarily sir. We can have it ready in about a week. Two weeks tops. We still have our observations. That is probably one of the most vital parts."
"Well...we'll leave the love birds alone for a while. Make them feel secure and then we'll strike. I'm a patient man...yes...we'll leave the birds alone to roost and then...it'll be to the slaughter house...."
A considerable amount of time had passed since the incident at the warehouse. The doctor was going certifiably crazy. Inconnu "punished" him by not letting him in on how he would turn them. DeMarquise's blood if possible, should have bubbled through his skin from pure anger. How dare Inconnu act like God?! True, he was the heads of this venture, but his patience had been running thin since he reprimanded him in his office not too long ago.
DeMarquise was pacing inside his room mumbling obscenities to himself. His servant came in and nodded toward. "What's your plan doctor?"
He slammed his fist down on the wooden desk. "Damn Inconnu! He waits too long doing things. It's just not ethical! I want the spider now!"
"What do you plan to do?"
"Well . . . I've received word that the plan is to split them in order to take them. Divide and conquer. If we are going to act, we need to do it now. We'll hit home with little miss Devun. She has a mother with cancer in remission . . . how about we bring in a nice little reoccurrence?"
"But sir-"
"The way I figure it, she'll be overwhelmed with grief. We'll also let it leak out the source of the reoccurrence. Not only will she feel grief, but also guilt! It's wonderful. She'll push people away, be disoriented and distant!" He began to giggle loudly. "It will be absolutely delicious!" Going to a more serious tone, he said, "Death must happen quickly, so sudden, that no one would detect it until it was too late. We could easily form a doctor who is a 'specialist' in the field to keep an eye on her." He licked his lips eagerly. Rubbing his hand together, he said, "We have limited people . . . it must be only one or two people who we can trust to research this on spare time . . . this research must go unnoticed. Get someone on the outside to research this. When all information needed is gathered, get your people will working on its construction."
Knowing how impatient his boss was, he said quickly, "This is going to take some time. It's very hard to get a hold of the materials that I' m almost sure that we will need."
"Spare me the mumbo jumbo. Just get it done. I want you to spend time on this. I want it 100% fool proof. The margin for error on this must be zero. I want this so badly, even I'm willing to spend some time to get it. Get you people working on it right away, but keep it under wraps..."
He nodded his head. "Yes sir." He left the room quickly, and attended to his duties.
DeMarquise walked around with a grin on his face. Victory was almost here . . . he could taste it on the very tips of his tongue. The bitter sweetness of an assured victory would be enough to tie him over for a very long time. This was perfect. Even Inconnu would have to give him respect on this. He didn't have the resources needed to convert them on his own, but if Inconnu knew that it had worked and that he had given him his precious Kristina on a silver platter . . . he would be more than willing to reward him handsomely. "Yes...this is going to do just nicely..."
Note: Okay...here ya go! Chapter 11 I'm thinking is going to be out next Thursday I'm guessing because I have to go to a workshop on Monday and won't get back until Wednesday. I may try to crank it out Sunday, so please bear with me. Apology to all M.J. lovers out there, sorry if I made her out to be bad, but I'm hoping that maybe this chapter will redeem myself somewhat. Anyway...au revoir! Don't forget to review please!"