Kristi stood in the hospital for hours, listening numbly to how her mother wanted no more pain...how she had signed papers consenting to not reviving her should her body fail because of her cancer, the bland excuses of how she would have endured pain should they have saved her, how she would be in a stupor, unable to feel anything but the pain of her brain suffocating and slowly being destroyed...she wasn't worried about that.
Her mother was dead.
There were papers to sign and forms, she signed them blindly. The last vision of her mother was her eyes closed and that small gasp that escaped her lips…
When she walked outside, it was pouring. Perfect, it matched her mood.
She walked to the nearest park and sat on bench in the rain. Her clothes were getting soaked through; her hair was matted down to her fallen head. She sat on the metal bench with its intricate designs molded into it pressing against her stiff back. Her lashes batted away the rogue raindrops that happened to make their way to her eyes. Her dark eyes went to the storming heavens. It was such a storm….just like her emotions.
She stared aimlessly into the night, watching lightning dance on the clouds She constantly blinked the raindrops from her eyes. She was trembling, not from the occasional breeze that chilled her wet skin. She trembled from fear, from a loss, from sadness. Funny thing though, not a tear fell from her eyes….
An hour had passed and yet the rain kept beating incessantly on her form. Kristi kept her eyes on the clouds, looking for the diamonds that normally shone from the sky, but because of the storm, were missing. Pushing herself off of the bench, she began to walk once more. She didn't care if she walked into the wrong alley, met up with a murderer, or even the devil. For the first time in her life, she did not care about anything around her.
She had made her way back to her apartment at what time? She didn't know, nor did she bother to look. Her feet sagged up the carpeted steps slowly, carrying her to her abode. She stripped out of her soaked clothes, dried off, and slipped into some pajamas. She fell onto her silky bed and stared into her ceiling wishing for the sleep that never came.
………………………..
A cheerful attendant opened the large metal door to welcome his boss home. Dark lashes hooded Inconnu's eyes and a scowl played on his lips. His tall form walked into his lair, not acknowledging the person next to him.
The attendant, with quick reflexes, caught the jacket that was thrusted so carelessly and violently at him. Running to keep up with his employer's long legs, the attendant asked quickly, "Sir, is there anything you would like?"
Anything he would like? Oh, there were lots of things he would like, perhaps torture, maybe murder, God forbid even some consolation… He shook his head quickly at the last thought. Instead, Inconnu's opaque eyes shot back to the attendant angrily. Growling in undertones, his voice rumbled, "Leave me alone. I am not to be disturbed under no circumstances." His dark 6'6 figure loomed over his servant's 5'9 figure menacingly "If a nuclear holocaust breaks out and humanity is dying out, I don't want to hear one word about it, not one scream from the victims, and not one knock on my door by the angel of death himself. Is that understood?"
The attendant shrunk back in fright. "Y-yes si-" he didn't even get his sentence out because the abrupt slamming of the large oak door blocked it out.
Inconnu strode into the room with composure never leaving him. His deformed hand went through his night hair quickly, water falling quietly down his face. A few droplets touched his lips, a brief taste of salt on them. His analytical mind didn't even ponder why the droplets were salty….
He wandered to his fireplace and lit the logs that sat there untouched for so long. His worn deformed hand flexed in and out angrily, while the other clutched a small, pure silver ring dearly. For the first time in his new life, Inconnu felt helpless….
……………………………………
Kristi got out of her bed when the clock stuck seven. She hadn't slept and her entire body felt as though if the wind touched it, it would shatter like glass. She didn't care though….how she felt should not and did not matter at this point. She got out of her bed quickly and went to her living room. She sat on her couch and did nothing. She just sat there, her mind zoning out, reaching for the past, reaching for the times with her mother that she wished she could relive.
A knock at her door brought her out her reverie. Getting up slowly, she opened the door without bothering to look in the peek hole. She saw Dr. Tate's sad face looking back at her. "Kristina." She made no response. Hopefully the deep circles under eyes and dropped shoulders would explain everything. He cleared his throat quickly before shifting his stance. "I brought-" he sighed softly before continuing, "I brought your mother's things from the hospital. I figured you might want them." She might want them? They were only the smallest pieces of what she really wanted. Kristi nodded her head slowly in compliance.
The doctor bent down and picked up a small plastic bag. He stuck his hand out warily towards her. Kristi took the bag from him, clutching it tightly. Eyeing her near white knuckles, Dr. Tate cleared his throat. "Would you like to talk about it or-" Kristi shook her head quickly. "It's not healthy for you to be left alone like this," he reasoned.
"I'll be fine," Kristi said quietly.
"It amazes me how much I see her in you," he said with a small smile. His green eyes shimmered lightly at the memory. "She was a good friend and she cared about you deeply. I'm sure she wouldn't want you like this."
If she didn't want her like this, she wouldn't have given up...she wouldn't have consented...she wouldn't have literally signed her life away! "It's not really something I can control." When she saw him shrink back a little, she felt even more like crap. Not because of her mother's death, but because she saw the crabbiness that was coming out. Mourning is one thing, being a bitch was another.
He nodded his baldhead solemnly. He knew she didn't mean to come off rude. "Of course." He remembered his behaviorisms when his father died when he was about her age. One of the things he lacked was a mother figure to guide him through it, so he became mad at what seemed to be the entire world. Pissyness was, unfortunately, associated with death. "You have my number if you have any questions about anything…" She nodded her head quickly. His head dropped slowly, "Well, I hope to talk to you soon. Good bye."
Kristi's eyes went forward as the doctor slowly made his way to the elevator. She felt horrible inside. She didn't need to be rude to him; he had done nothing wrong. Something in her didn't care. She had wanted to talk to someone about this, so why she just pushed him away like that was beyond her. Her senses were slowly coming back to her the more she thought. She was more functional than she was last night. Her body melted into the pillows on her sofa as she stared off into oblivion once more.
There came another knock at her door. Getting up slowly, she proceeded to do the same procedure as she did before: make her way to the door slowly, open it, and say nothing.
He could hear someone padding across the floor. "Kristi?" Peter asked softly through the door. Knocking a little louder, he said again, "Kris?" Peter had stopped at the hospital earlier that day, one of the nurses broke the news to him. It was a sad thing really. As uncomfortable as things were in the beginning whenever he would talk with her, Mrs. Devun was someone easy for him to talk to and he liked her company.
The locks clicked simultaneously. A quick whoosh followed the opening squeak of the door. Peter's eyes widened slowly when he saw Kristi's form. Her 5'8 stature seemed so much smaller. Her hair was slightly ruffled as her sunken in eyes stared back at his. He took a quick step forward.
Kristi saw Peter's expression, but it never registered. Her mind was off on its own, not aware of the things around it. It surprised her that she heard the knocking of the door for a second time. When Peter reached for her, she took a step back. She didn't want a hug, she didn't want to be touched….she wanted nothing, at least she thought she didn't. Her eyes met Peter's blue hurt ones once. Her lips tried to form some sort of apology but her voice had disappeared along with her knowledge of things.
Peter saw her lips twitch, but fall suddenly. She moved out of the doorway, giving the hint for him to come in. He entered her apartment, watching her form shuffle to the sofa and sit quietly onto the cushions.
Joining her onto the sofa, he sat there looking at her. Her body didn't move, she made no movement to acknowledge him. Something in her wanted so desperately to talk with him, to let him know that she didn't mean to be rude or…
"Kristi?" She did nothing. He sighed silently. He knew this would be hard for her. Her mother was basically the only family she had near her. He knew this would be a devastating blow that would render her…like this: emotionless. Thoughts flashed back to him about his Uncle Ben. The memories were flooding back quickly with every small breath he saw her take. He felt guilt for his uncle's death, but he could only ponder what it was like to sit there and do nothing because doing something wasn't an option….
She had no power over this, and he knew how much she hated not being able to control or forestall things. She looked so small, so vulnerable. Maybe this is what her mother meant for him to help her with….to help her be strong.
He looked up from his own hands that were holding each other. Kristi hadn't moved at all from her spot. His hand slowly reached for her's. When his fingertips touched her's, they almost pulled back from the coldness they were emitting. He wrapped his entire hand around her's in an attempt to warm them. His hands began to rub gently against her's in such a soothing affect that her back dropped some and her stiff body parts relaxed.
Scooting closer to her, his other arm reached slowly around her shoulder. Pulling her close, he turned his body and leaned back with her on top of him slightly. Kicking off his shoes, he placed his legs on the sofa. Holding her tightly, he kissed her forehead and just laid there holding her. Peter had an assignment to go on an interview that day, but it was cancelled, freeing up the entire day for his disposal. He couldn't think of a better way to spend it. It was a shame it was under such horrible circumstances.
Kristi murmured something after about 20 minutes. "I miss her already. It's only been…"she looked up at the clock on her wall. Doing quick math, she said, "15 hours."
Peter's hand was in her hair, slowly stroking it. Softly, he asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"
Her face fell more into his chest. "I…I don't know." She scoffed at herself. "I won't even cry."
Peter's hand made its way from her hair to her arms. "It's alright to cry."
She shook her slightly. "They won't even come out." Looking up quickly, she asked sadly, "Is that bad?"
"No…"
She placed her head back to his chest. "When my father passed, I bawled my eyes out. Now, they won't come out." She was becoming angrier at her younger self for crying. Before, if she could back in time and talk to herself, she would reprimand her older self for not crying. It amazed her how differently a "child" and an "adult" could look at mourning. Bitterly, she said, "I hate tears. Tears are ugly beings that have made their way on too many faces."
His hand began to rub up and down her chilled arm. "They make you feel better sometimes."
"They make me feel helpless…powerless. I don't need tears to do that to me…I'm feeling it right now."
Peter sighed softly. When his Uncle Ben died, they did wonders for him. If he hadn't shed those few water droplets, he didn't know what he would have done. The smallest things could do the biggest wonders. "They release built up pain." With a sad smile, he added, "I know."
Kristi shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. Peter's scent was stuck in her nostrils as her mind wandered. "I just…I was talking with her at this time yesterday." A small smile threatened her straight lips. "We were watching I Love Lucy. She loved Ricky." Shifting her weight, she continued. "We were talking about Lucy's hair, Fred's stomach, Ethel's voice, and Ricky's conga drums." Her face softened slightly at the memory of Nina. "She looked so weak, but she kept fighting anyway." A harsher tone escaped from her throat. "And then….she just gave up...she gave up her life." A small sigh escaped her lips. "The last thing we talked about was if I was happy with my life, with where I was. She wouldn't let me get out of it either until I answered her."
"And did you?"
"Yes. She was so stubborn about some things, but, it was difficult for her."
"She was probably in a lot of pain..."
Sighing softly, Kristi responded. "But she pushed it aside to find out if I was happy. Then she told me to be strong and let go…she was preparing me. I didn't know about the signature, but this was her way of preparing me. She was so tired, but she stayed up until she got a straight answer from me."
"At least she attempted to prepare you within those couple of minutes."
She sighed heavily. "Yeah." Yawning softly, she said, "Thank you for coming over."
"Absolutely never a problem." He glimpsed down at her as she began to yawn again. "You can go to sleep right here if you'd like. I can get up if you want to get more comfortable, but from the looks of it, it seems as though you're pretty comfy."
"You make a good body pillow, but I don't think I'll be falling asleep anytime soon."
"You want some water or something?"
"No thank you. I'm fine."
"You want a sandwich or something?"
Her smile threatened to come again. "Peter, I'm fine."
"Sure?"
"Positive." Peter narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't look at me like that! My mom gave me that look."
"You sure you not hungry or something? Have you eaten anything?"
"I plea the fifth."
"You can't do that."
"I just did."
He tightened his arms around her before speaking softer. "C'mon Kris, don't do this to yourself. You are skinny enough already….those bony elbows poking into me need some meat. I'm gonna get a bruise."
She sat up partially and stared at him open eyed. "Am I hurting you?"
"No, I'm just playing with you. I'm gonna make you some soup." Peter got up slowly, carefully placing Kristi to the side so he could get up. "And you're gonna eat it."
She rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Are you going to force it down my throat?"
The back of his form stopped quickly. Turning around, he said with a smirk, "That could be arranged. I could pin you down." Buffing his nails on his shirt playfully, he added, "I am stronger than you."
She sat up quickly. "No you aren't." Her eyes narrowed in a challenging look.
Peter walked back to the sofa and sat down. He placed one arm on the back of the sofa and one on the seat, leaving her trapped. "Did you forget the beach, spring break maybe?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I let you win."
"No you didn't."
"Yeah, I did." He shook his head at her in protest when she leaned into him to give him a quick peck.
Instead of it being a quick peck, Kristi, unknowingly deepened it. Breathless, Peter was the one who pulled away slowly. Biting his bottom lip, he asked quickly, "What kind of soup do you want?"
Kristi's lips formed a smirk. "The nonexistent kind. I'm not hungry, really."
"Humor me…hmm?" He pushed her back down onto the sofa. " Just lay here, and I'll surprise you with something." He kissed her forehead before getting up to go to the kitchen.
She watched him walked off toward the kitchen and a small smile played on her lips. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to share with him. Everyday she found herself wondering how did he happen to her. At least her mother had gotten to know him. Her acceptance of Peter was a very important factor to Kristi. She ended up being quite fond of him.
Kristi's brown eyes tugged shut. She wanted her mother to be happy with her…..Hearing a small chime in the back of her head, she was brought from her thoughts. "Peter, do you hear that?"
Spider sense. Peter came from the kitchen. "Yeah, I'll be back." He watched with interest as Kristi began to get up. "What are you doing?"
"I was going to come."
"No, it wouldn't be too good if you fell asleep in midair."
"I'm not tired."
"Tell that to the circles around your eyes. Stay. I'll handle it." She watched him pull his clothes off and place his mask on. She sat back on the sofa when she heard him whoosh out of the window. He'd handle it. One thought often popped in her head: What would happen if he wouldn't be able to handle it? Kristi thought about what happened with Peter and M.J. What happens if they were put in a compromising situation as that? They both have powers to save themselves though. But would they use them in the public's view, be seen and become and a freak constantly hounded because of their newfound identity?
Another thought popped in her head: As handy as this mystery person was with drugs and chemicals, they made something that disoriented them and at one point, turned off their spider sense. Could they do it again with another chemical, leaving one or both of them defenseless against these people? They could wreak havoc with large crime sprees and possibly going after people in their life.
Her optimistic side came back into play. She told herself to stop worrying about such things. Nothing had happened. And nothing was going to happen….
……………………………………
Inconnu remained in his room for three days. He knew as well as anyone that a tumor could not grow the way it did without killing Nina sooner. His mind was engulfed with puzzlement until he realized that this was not natural or accidental; it was murder. It had to be. Never leaving his room, Inconnu got in touch with his contacts asking for any information they could muster on the situation. He told them not to contact him until the day after next. He was going to have a plane to catch.
Nina's wake service was at St. Michael's Cathedral. Many people came for the services, some that Kristina didn't know: Old clients, other Partners at her firm, and her hairdresser to name a few. There was an array of flowers, just like at the hospital. Kristi's eyes didn't water once during the service, but she carried a vacant look on her face. She was cordial to everyone, as cordial as she could be under the circumstances.
The next day, Kristi flew to Louisiana for the actual funeral for her family that couldn't fly to New York. Her mother had already been "shipped" after the wake. She would be buried next to Kristina's father on an area her father bought for their family. Peter went with Kristi to see her off at the airport that Saturday morning.
The air was warm and the smells of it were lingering with the scent of car exhaust. The two were standing next to a yellow cab that had parked outside the entrance. Watching the small, Indian cab driver remove the suitcase from the trunk, Peter squeezed Kristi's hand. "I'm sorry I can't come with you."
Kristi's eyes were on the traffic going in and out. So many cars with so many people in them….so many lives that she as sure had been taken for granted. Her brown eyes looked to him and squeezed his hand back. "That's okay. You've done more than enough for me already."
Peter held her hands with his own, gently swinging them while looking down to the dirt-covered pavement. "Jameson's secretary called me this morning to have me come in early." Tapping his shoe, he looked back to her eyes. "They hired a new reporter of some sort. I think J.J. is actually gonna hire me full time."
A smile crossed her face as she leaned in to give him a hug. Cheerfully, she said, "That's great Peter."
He watched her carefully. He knew she was happy for him, but sadness still lingered in her. "You gonna be okay with everything?"
She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I think so. It's all closure, I guess."
Peter watched her form shift at the word "closure". Leaning in close, he encircled his arms around her once more and gave her a final hug. He almost didn't let her go when she placed her head in between his neck and shoulder. His head began to lean against her's as he sighed deeply. "Goodbye Kris," he murmured into her hair.
Kristi craned her neck to look at him. "Bye Pete." He leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips. This time, when their lips touched, it felt, different. It felt as though he were kissing her differently with every passing second. It wasn't as though he doubted himself or his feelings about her when they kissed, but this time, it felt like a renewed action….
Kristi didn't know if it was because she was in a pretty bad emotional state or not, but she could have sworn that his kiss felt better than normal. Almost as though there was more with it. But then again, anything Peter had done lately felt especially better to her during the week.
Peter released Kris and watched her walk into the airport. When she was inside of the doors, he got into the taxi that was waiting left with only bewildered thoughts.
The taxi driver drove Peter to the Daily Bugle headquarters. Paying his fare, Peter got out of the yellow taxi and walked into the building. As soon as he reached the floor, he went to the secretary's desk. She was busy talking to someone on the phone. When her soft brown eyes flew up, she pointed Peter to Jameson's door. Covering up the mouthpiece, she whispered, "He's waiting for you."
Murmuring a thank you, Peter, walked to Jameson's office. Knocking softly, he heard someone bark out a "Who is it!" Peter opened the door and peered inside. "Ah Parker, why the hell you standing out there for! Get in here!" the voice ordered. Peter walked in slowly. Every time he walked in the man's office, he always seemed to be intimidated by Jameson at first. Three seconds in the office, it all fades away.
Peter's eyes wondered around the office that reeked of a smoked cigar. Peter nodded his head toward Nathan Robbins, J.J's assistant, in a silent hello. "Mr. Jameson-"
Taking a strong puff from his cigar, Jameson breathed out, "Can it Robbins! Got some stuff to discuss here!" Jameson looked to Peter with his narrowed eyes. "Got a new lackey doing some writing." He nodded his head to the side. "Mikala Michaels." Peter's eyes followed the direction that his boss's head nodded toward. He almost dropped his jaw when he saw her. He saw a 5'9, long blond haired girl who looked no more than 24. She was sitting in a chair in the corner with tight capris and a white shirt that hugged at her chest. Her dark green eyes, resembling shards of glass shot up, toward Peter when she was acknowledged. She eyed him carefully, but quickly softened her hard glare.
She stood up from her seat and strolled toward Peter, slightly swaying her hips. Peter extended his hand nervously. "H-hey."
Extending her tanned hand, her voice just purred out a "Hello." She flashed her teeth at him before winking quickly. Peter felt a shiver up his spine quickly. Her eyes looked vaguely familiar…
Jameson took another puff out of his cigar. "Yeah, you're her new photographer. Oh yeah, that means you're on the official payroll." He shook some gray flakes from his cigar. He yelled quickly, "Robbins!"
Nathan, who was only a mere five feet from his boss, jumped slightly from the rise in his voice. "Yes?"
"Get the girl an ID and draw up the paper work."
Picking up a yellow envelope that he had placed on a chair, Nathan handed it to Jameson. "Already done sir."
Taking it from the man, Jameson barked once more. "Then why you still in here!"
Nathan just sighed. His tired eyes looked back to his boss. "I came to give it to you." He really should be getting paid more than the ducats he was getting….
"I got it. That means you can LEAVE now!" He started his way toward the door, when Jameson yelled at him. "Robbins!"
"Yes?"
"Stick around. Got some stuff to talk about after I'm done talking with these two, the Morrison column, get some ideas ready." Jameson shifted in his seat toward Peter and Mikala. "There's a big thing going on down at the 12th precinct. Something bout a new police chief." Pointing his cigar for good measure, he said to Mikala, "Dig up some dirt and get the scoop Michaels. Parker, just stand there and take pictures. They better be damn good ones too." He waved his hands toward the door. "Now get outta here!" Peter started for the door with Mikala closely behind him. "Robbins, about that Morrison column…."
Mikala eyed Peter with little interest. She saw his eyes widen slightly and the nervousness was practically oozing out of him. This wasn't something new for her, she was constantly being hit on, and jaws were always being dropped her way. She loved every minute of it. She was sexy as hell and she knew it. Her ways of persuasion were her lips, curves, and occasionally what she could do between the sheets. Causing men to lose concentration or forget about things, mainly their significant others, was her specialty. When she was done here, she could add some more items to her lengthy resume of seduction and baiting. Seduction and manipulation all can be used under a common connotation. Of course that would be why she was hired by none other than an under lord….
It was of course a favor to him since he did something to her. He did something and her eye color changed from its normal baby blues to green. She told someone something and she got it! That was dangerous for her to have, but she was always one to flirt with danger. Didn't always work, but it did most of the time. She smiled to herself when she thought of how those eyes helped her get many things from men….
Once they made it to the elevator, Mikala broke the silence. "Is he always that….demanding?" she asked thick with an accent.
Peter breathed out heavily. "Yeah. I guess you ought to get used to it though. He's not a bad man." He stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. How could he describe J.J.? "Just a little dramatic sometimes. I guess."
'Why not suck up now?' she thought ruefully. Digging in her purse, she pulled out piece BigRed. This was, of course, to attract attention to her full lips. " From my view, I totally agree with you." She popped the red gum into her mouth. Chewing slowly, she said, "So where are you from?" The elevator made a quick chime.
They stepped off the elevator, he said quickly. "Queens."
"I mean are you originally from The Big Apple."
Peter nodded his head slowly. "My whole life."
She slipped a golden strand behind her hair. "Wow. That must be pretty cool."
They had reached the door when Peter asked her a question. "Where are you from?"
"Kentucky."
"Cool. What's brings you up here then?"
"Sometimes a girl gets tired of horses and fried chicken. So…I didn't catch your name. The boss man said something about Parker?"
"Yeah." Peter stepped to the curb and attempted to flag down a taxi. "J.J. calls everyone by their last name." A yellow taxi sped by quickly, ignoring Peter's hand. With a heavy sigh, he said with his head turned to her, "My name is Peter."
Giving him a quick look over, she said, "Well Peter, it's a pleasure talking to you. I hope we do more together," she said quietly while licking her bottom lip. Peter's eyes quickly went back to the on going traffic, his stance shifting uncomfortably. This whole thing just felt funny, out of place.
Placing his arm down from it's attempt to flag a taxi down, she held up car keys. "C'mon, I'll drive."
…………………………...
While in Louisiana, Kristi visited with a few of her old friends and family members. The service wouldn't convene until the next morning, so this left her with ample time to catch up on old times. During the whole ordeal, Kristi missed her mother, but didn't acknowledge the fact that she wasn't coming back. She didn't want to let go of the thought that her mother was going to come back. No matter what anyone said, a wake service, funeral, and burial later, she still couldn't believe it.
Kristi was staying at a Best Western despite her cousin, Mary's request for her to stay with her. Mary has six kids; peace and tranquility was something Kristi needed and that obviously wouldn't be found in that house.
Kristi was laying down on her queen size bed when she glimpsed at the clock. It was almost seven o'clock. In New York, it was nearing eight. Picking up the phone, she called Peter. "Hello?"
Kristi sighed quietly when she heard his voice. "Peter?"
"Kris hey!" Peter beamed over the phone. "How are you?"
She gave a small smile. "I'm okay. I came back from seeing one of my cousins."
"Are they okay?"
"They're fine."
"Well that's good."
"How you doing up there?"
"Um, I'm alright." He looked at his limp noodles in white sauce. "Just eating some PastaRoni."
"How did the thing go with Jameson?"
"I am now an official Daily Bugle photographer."
"That's wonderful. How is that new journalist? Are you working with them?"
"Yeah. We went to the 12th precinct and did a piece on the new police chief. Mikala is very aggressive when it comes to getting an interview."
Mikala? "Really?"
Peter nodded his head, even though he was talking the phone and there was no way of her being able to see him nodding his head. "For a minute I didn't think we were gonna get any story, but she managed to make her way in. Lots of tenacity and appeal."
"Not too much I hope," Kristi said quietly. It was meant to be a joke, but she found herself being serious about it.
Peter made a small smile. "None that you have to worry about DEAR," he said while enunciating the "dear". "Besides, aren't you near New Orleans? French Quarter, hello!"
Kristi chuckled over the white phone. "Don't worry, I'll be a good girl while I'm over here." Kristi then gave him her hotel and room number. "Call me if you get bored or something."
He swallowed some noodles. "Call me if you need to talk," he responded.
A small sigh escaped her lips. She probably did need some talking to, but she wasn't ready to face it. "Yeah, I'll let you go finish eating your pasta. It's already eight over there, and we both know how hectic your night life is, so I'll let you get your meal in now."
"Okay. I'll try to call you later, like tomorrow or so. Depends on what J.J. has in store for me."
She ran her finger over the maroon comforter. "Okay."
"Alright." The tone in his voice indicated he wasn't done speaking.
"Was there something else you wanted to say Pete?"
There was something else that was supposed to come out, but he didn't have a clue as to what it was. "Yeah, I-" he stopped for a moment, as if his mind had just gone blank and his mind was pushing something aside for some reason. "Um….g'night and sweet dreams." That wasn't it at all.
Kristi gave a small smile. "G'night Peter. Don't stay out too late."
He gave a gingerly smile. "I won't. G'night."
"G'night." Peter hung up the phone and let his eyes fall on his droopy angel hair pasta that was covered in Parmesan sauce. Mikala seemed nice enough, a little on the pushy side, but nice nonetheless. Her eyes seemed so familiar to him, but since he had seen so many people, green eyes should seem common. There was something special about her's though….
………………………………………..
Inconnu's suspicions were confirmed: a growth-inducing chemical was found in Nina's blood stream. This means that someone knew about Nina's health, meaning that someone knew and/or knows about Kristi. That could lead to only one thing….
Dr. DeMarquise sat comfortably in his abode, playing chess on his computer. It was his fourth game of the night, each time beating the computer. A white box popped up on his monitor reading: Video message. Growling loudly, he hastily accepting it. Few people knew how to reach him by this means, but those who did only did so when it was something of extreme importance to talk about. Clicking "ok", he placed his camera on his face and spoke. "Who the hell is it?" The picture was still fuzzy.
His voice calm as face began to come in clearly. "Inconnu."
DeMarquise smiled. "Ah! Old friend how are you? Heard you were out of state on business. What is it I can help you with?" he asked happily.
His face was straight, his eyes unreadable. "You killed her mother didn't you?"
DeMarquise eyes shot up. He wasn't supposed to find out about that yet. "What?"
Inconnu's eyes shut for a moment as he took a deep breath. "You had the girl's mother killed, did you not?"
"I only did it to spice things up a bit."
His eyes flew open. "Spice things up you say?" he was steady flexing his fists in and out. He attempted to contain his anger as much as he could, but his anger always proved to be hard to keep in check.
"Well yes. I was only doing you a favor. Figured I could help you out by making the girl distant." Brightly, DeMarquise said proudly, "She'll be pushing people away, be disoriented and more susceptible to accepting someone with power, since the cause of her mother's death would be because of her lacking of it and because she wouldn't join us originally. Guilt and grief are mighty allies when used against someone don't you think?"
Inconnu's mouth twitched slightly into a small scowl. "Did I not tell you that I would be handling things from now on?"
"Well yes, but I figured this way I could redeem myself. Also, I have something else brewing in the works. I have found a way to strip her of her spider powers."
This time, Inconnu made no effort at containing his anger. "What!" If he tampered with her, used her as a guinea pig in anyway-
"Well yes. What your people have overlooked, mine have found. Certain hormones release her spider powers and we have found a way to introduce her into an environment where those hormones will be halted. We can't get to the precognition and telekinesis because she is using part of her own brain for that, but everything else will not be usable! We aren't too sure about the electricity though. That one element seems to be a bit tricky. But other than that, we've utilized her powers into something that we could possibly control! We have the needed tools to force the hormones to be functional again, giving us the power to allow her the powers anytime we want. Isn't that exciting!"
Exciting? Exciting? The man sounded like a giggling schoolgirl because he got to play Dr. Frankenstein in his laboratory. There is no way he could have formulated something so quickly without it having some sort of drawback. "Who authorized this?"
"Well, I did sir."
Inconnu chuckled silently. "Just like how you authorized that blunder at the warehouse, correct?"
DeMarquise waved his hand to the side at the mention of it. "That was just a fluke. Many great men of history must have flukes before they obtain greatness."
"If you have harmed her in anyway, I will-"
The doctor scoffed at him. I will this, I shall that, the man was full of empty threats! "Oh come off it man! She's fine! She's going to be fine. It will appear as a cold at first and then when her equilibrium comes back to normal, boom!" The doctor began to laugh in his seat. "This is delicious."
Inconnu's face looked as though it had been set in stone. "You have gone behind my back and conducted your own experiments? Correct?"
"Well it was only to help you. Your staff was more than willing to experiment with the possibilities since they knew of your-"
"My staff? My staff! You use my staff without my permission, yet AGAIN after I gave explicit orders for you not to do so again?"
"It's all to benefit you Inconnu. Please, you must put your pride aside long enough to see what is going on. I'm shocked you didn't come up with the idea yourself really. I don't know what it is. Seems as though you've been getting soft. I know the kind of mastermind that you are, so it has shocked me that you haven't come up with some thing like this on your own. You truly are an ungrateful man."
Getting soft? Oh, Inconnu would remember this. Perhaps the good doctor was right. His other side was beginning to surface more. After all, he did go see Nina while she was in the hospital. "Hear me well, whenever you use my facilities and my staff and my technology I will be acknowledged before you even pick up a test tube. You understand me?"
"Yes…." DeMarquise shook his head slowly before mumbling, "Too damn hard to please."
"Good bye dear doctor." Then the monitor went fuzzy once more. DeMarquise sighed heavily as he closed the box. He thought for sure Inconnu would blow a gasket if he knew the risks involved: possible damage to her immune system and nervous system, but hey, it was all for the world of crime. Sacrifices are needed to do things. At least things seemed to be for Inconnu and not for his own benefit. With her weakened form, she would not be nearly as lethal and helpful to Spider Man. When she would be taken, she could be converted and then used to bring Spider Man to him. How wonderful this was!
Inconnu stayed in his hotel suite with anger flowing through his veins. He knew how the doctor worked. He was not trying to be a good little helper for him….oh no, he was too impatient of a man to do that! No, he wanted this Spider Man as fast as he could get him. Inconnu's anger stopped controlling him for a moment, giving him enough time to let a thought come to mind: Perhaps he did have something here. Knowing Peter Parker's history, Inconnu was able to piece together that he had some sort of fling or another with…what was her name….Mary Jane? That was what it was. Well, they weren't together and from what his people could gather from tapped in conversations, he was afraid she would be hurt again. That kook, Norman Osborn, kidnapped her or something….Inconnu wasn't very interested in all the details. The fact is, without Kristina's powers, what would poor little Peter Parker do now? He was still under the delusion that his identity was still a secret. Inconnu smiled at that thought.
Then he thought back to the doctor….
"That idiot!" he yelled out loud. "This whole thing is going to backfire. Parker is in too deep to stop a relationship now. Grief and guilt….bah! Sure, she'd feel it, but that man underestimates dear Kristina. She is not as weak as he thinks she is." His footsteps began to make the bedchamber echo as he paced back and forth on the wooden floor. "She'll push him away, but he will not give up. His tenacity is going to be the undoing of this plan. He'll make time for her and be around her more…not around my nice little vixen!" He began to growl once more at his colleague's stupidity. "Her most powerful assets are what she can do with her mind, not by web slinging or doing damn flips!"
His face tightened quickly into a scowl while talking with his alter ego. "This thing is going to blow up, and they are going to be even stronger together. The time on the clock has been sped up and now who knows when things can take place. If that stupid whore does her job right, we won't have to worry about them getting back together, but because of the time…." A softer part of him said quietly, "There just isn't enough time." Angrily, he slammed his deformed hand down on the oak dresser inside the room. He sighed loudly again. "The worse thing in the world for you to do to a couple is to expect one of the people involved to voluntarily push people away…you must insert someone else into the equation to stir up doubt. That is how you split a couple. Put in doubt and everything goes down hill. Now, with what that doctor has done, who knows what will happen now. No doubt the cold that will be brought on will leave her knocked out some. She won't expect her powers to work, she won't have a need to use the spider ones." He raked his brain for a moment, looking for scenarios that could possibly help him with this. "In order to get her to the point of pushing that is needed, she'll need to know that she is found out. Perhaps she'll be adamant enough to push him away herself, bringing in the past to end it. Mary Jane's mishap could be the push Parker may need. She'll not want that hormone agent to get into his system as well….she'll be somewhat defenseless and most likely easier to capture, but stupid parker is going to stay with her to make sure no harm comes her way!" He yelled out in frustration. "Hopefully Kristina will be hard headed enough to redirect Peter. She'll no doubt want him away from her since she's going to be a threat and maybe is Mikala does her job right, Peter will have a guilty conscience while with Kristina anyway….Maybe the doctor helped after all." Giving a contented grin, Inconnu fell onto his bed.
His contentment soon turned into anger. The doctor killed her mother. He didn't want her killed. That was not a part of the plan at all. "This will not go unpunished…."
……………………………………
Since the police chief election, things have been happening. Nothing criminalistic, but full of big important things with the mayor and police chief. Galas were going on, most likely because it was an election year. Of course the Daily Bugle had to get the inside interviews everyone else wanted and the exclusive pictures. Of course, this is where Mikala and Peter came in. That night, they went to City Hall Center for a ball welcoming in the police chief the day after the interview with the chief.
Peter was dressed in a black and white tux when he reached Mikala's apartment. Buzzing in, he soon heard her cat like voice on the intercom. "Come on in, the door is open." Peter made his way to the elevator and to the twelfth floor.
Mikala was just putting on her dress. It was a long, crimson dress, just tight enough to accentuate her figure. Inconnu had called her earlier that day, giving specific directions for seduction and whatever else she could dish out, but attempt to refrain from using mind tricks on him. She didn't need to succeed this time, but put some thoughts in his head. She liked that idea…
From what she could gather, Peter Parker was an eight-year-old Boy Scout caught in a college student's body. 'He'll be on his guard, but c'mon….' she thought quickly. "Every man has his breaking point," she said confidently. She fixed her dress so the zipper would be caught when she heard Peter in the other room.
"Mikala?"
She smiled quickly. "Coming Parker! Just putting on some finishing touches." Spritzing on some French perfume, she put on her pouting face and made her way to the front room.
Peter's eyes glimpsed around her apartment. It was modest, just like his. He made himself at home on her black sofa. Hearing the clicking of heels, he turned his direction to the hallway. His eyes fluttered for a moment when he saw her figure moving toward him. He jumped up quickly, while clearing his throat.
Her head was down with her blond hair flipped forward over her head. "Hey Parker, c'mere." Her eyes were down as she saw the black shoes come toward her through the blond hair. Grunting she said quickly, "Can you zip up the back of my dress? It's stuck and every time I try to get it up, my hair gets caught in it."
Peter's body froze for a second. Zip up her dress? Even he couldn't stop the quick blood flow that reached his cheeks. "Um…..I'm not sure that I should."
She scoffed at him while turning her back to him. "Don't be silly man! My back is hanging out and I'm gettin' a slight chill, now would you do it already?"
It was rather innocent….zippers get stuck all the time. His do. 'But do you ask some guy in the bathroom to zip your pants up for you,' his mind ridiculed quickly. He scoffed at himself. She just needed her dress zipped up, nothing big. He walked behind her and placed his hand on the rogue zipper. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, blocking out anything else his eyes may encounter. He tugged at it for a moment and then tugged at it again. By instinct, he opened his eyes and began to tug. His eyes stopped for a moment when he saw her smooth back and just how low the zipper was stuck at…. Slowly, he pulled at the zipper and it came up very, very slowly. He could feel his knuckles hitting her bare skin, so he did quick movements to stop whatever touching wasn't necessary.
Mikala smiled to herself when she felt his touch jerk away from her quickly. 'Poor little boy scout,' she thought humorously. When she felt the zipper nearing it's destination, she made a long sigh before taking a slow step back. "Are you done?"
Peter removed his hand quickly. "Yeah, I'm done."
She turned around and flipped her hair back slowly and carefully. "Well aren't you just a peach?" she said while pinching his flushed cheeks. He gave her small unsure smile. "What's wrong with you? You look like you got your hand caught in the cookie jar or something?"
More like the inside of a dress…. "Nothing it's just, whew," he began to fan himself for good measure, "it's kinda warm. August is a killer in New York and I'm walking around with a jacket on."
Mikala smirked before saying quickly, "That's nothing compared to Lexington. Spend a summer there and then you'll see why I came up north." She sauntered to a mirror in her front room and began to fix her hair.
Peter stared at her for a moment. She reminded him of a cat just then. Her eyes! Man…he could have sworn he'd known them from somewhere. Pushing that aside, he thought about what just happened. There was entirely too much skin exposed for him, even his eyes fell on the small curve that poked out from the front on the side….
'Enough!' his mind yelled. Too far is where he went, and now, he would bring his little self back.
She heard him mumble something under his breath and turned around quickly. "What was that?"
Peter looked up from his hands with a confused look on his face. "Oh nothing. I didn't say anything." Mikala nodded her head slowly, before turned her face back to the mirror. Pushing a few strands behind her ear, she turned around quickly and grabbed her red purse that she had thrown on her kitchen countertop earlier. Checking its contents, she said quickly, "Okay, I' m set to go. Are you ready?" Peter nodded his head slowly. She went to him and flashed him a grin. Grabbing his arm, she said, "Okay then. Let's go."
They got into her black Celica and drove in silence to the CHC. She did something to him; he was nervous the entire ride there. She could see his leg bobbing in the corner of her eye. She had to use every restraint she had so she wouldn't smile at his misery.
Peter sat on the cold seat keeping his eyes forward. His senses were heightened as he tapped his foot incessantly on the car floor. There were very few girls, correction…. WOMEN, he was comfortable around. Mikala Michaels was definitely not one of them. His Aunt May, heck ya, his old 5th grade teacher Mrs. Driskall, for sure, Kristi, that was a given, but Mikala Michaels…. not one bit. She was very attractive, but there just seemed something creepy about her. Her overall presence overwhelmed him. He seemed to have his guard up when around her and he couldn't understand why. His mind began to harass him. 'Maybe its because she's an attractive girl and you have a girlfriend, but are having guy thoughts and images and-' "Stop."
Mikala looked at him quickly before turning her eyes back to the road. "What for?"
Peter's leg stopped moving. "N-nothing," he stuttered out. "Just talking to myself." He shook his head at himself. 'You've got to stop talking out loud Parker…'he thought ruefully.
Mikala looked at him funnily before turning her glance to the road again. Parker certainly was a weird one….
They reached City Hall Center around seven. All of the grounds were surrounded with cars. Mikala pulled up to the front where a valet was waiting. Giving her a ticket, he got into he car and drove it away. The two walked up the lengthy, stony steps. The flashed their press cards and they were allowed to pass through. There was a large, crystal chandelier hanging at the top of the dome shaped ceiling. Along the sides of the building, there were long tables with place mats for different people: The mayor and his people, the police chief and his people, and few political characters, and then there were the seats for the press.
Finding their spots, Mikala and Peter sat down and watched the other people trickle inside. "I'm gonna go get some pictures," Peter said quickly while looking for his camera.
Mikala reached in front of him, rubbing against him in specific spots and handed the camera to him. "Want me to give you some?" she purred.
Peter nearly choked on his spit. "Excuse me?"
"Give you some good shots?"
"N-no, that's quite alright." Peter shifted uncomfortably and almost fell out of his seat. Standing much slower this time, he excused himself with his camera and walked toward a crowd. She did that on purpose, he was sure of it…well almost. She could have just been getting the camera for him. He didn't know where he'd put it. She could have just told him to shift eight degrees to the left and bam! That would have been simpler. And her way of wording things….He didn't have a dirty mind, but she was giving off enough sex appeal that even a priest would say a few Hail Mary's before walking out the room. He wasn't attracted to her, but her presence was just….she made him feel dirty. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. His thoughts fell on Kristi. And then….
He felt like crap.
Why was he even thinking about Mikala? He raised his camera to take a shot of the police chief shaking hands with the Mayor. He had Kristi. Sure, she wasn't as busty or as curvy as Mikala, but it was his Kristi. She was beautiful to him no matter what. Why is he worrying about Mikala's curves? "I'm a guy. That's why," he said ruefully. He then turned his camera to a few of the guests. 'Oh well,' he thought. Whether it be because of testosterone or not, he loved everything about Kristi, her eyes, her personality, her smile. He lov-
His hand slipped on the button as that thought began to shoot through his head. He what? He said, what? He said nothing. Not a thing at all. His mind was saying things that were just trying to justify his actions. He cared about Kristi….that was enough. Nothing more….right? 'Nope, nothing else,' he thought encouragingly. He scoffed at himself. He was surprised at himself for almost loosely using a word like that, even in his thoughts! It was too precious to him for him to go and say something like that. But did he- He cut that thought off. He wouldn't think about that now. He was unsure about how strong things were anyway, so…. he should not be thinking about delusional stuff like that. He took a deep breath again and pushed the thought out of his head once more and concentrated on his pictures.
Mikala powdered her nose. She smiled to herself devilishly. His facial expression was so priceless, like a deer caught in headlights. He was so nervous. He obviously hadn't been around that many women. Apparently, his girlfriend wasn't giving him the goods that was expected from most. But why would he deny her? Surely he must be sexually dissatisfied. Mikala loved being the beverage that quenched that kind of men's thirst….
Maybe his girlfriend was dishing it out, and he is so wrapped around her finger, he shuts down every other female. She smiled to herself before saying confidently, "I'm not every other female." He was so nervous….she knew she had an affect on him. "Maybe this'll be easier than boss man said it would be…"
The night went pretty well. The police chief made his speech, the mayor made his speech, and everything was cool. Now, at eleven, the whole shindig was over with. The Mayor made his way back his home and so did the police chief.
Mikala yawned loudly as the valet brought her her car. "Well this was quite the boring ball."
"Not the most exciting thing huh?"
She yawned again. "Not at all." Glimpsing at her watch, she said quickly, "Well, I guess I ought to get crackin' on this story. Think we can make the edition for tomorrow?"
"They normally don't ship the paper off to the company until about two. So guess you might have the time."
"Can you get your film developed?"
"Sure. There's a dark room at the Bugle."
"Great. We'll go straight there. Is someone going to be there?"
"Nathan usual is."
"Good, good!" Mikala sped to the Daily Bugle in record time. It amazed Peter that they weren't pulled over. Peter got out on his side of the car and waited for Mikala. When she didn't get out, he went over to her side of the car and peeked in the window. She looked like she was zoning out…
Mikala stopped the car but she felt as though she couldn't get a grasp on her mind. Ever since that guy used her as a guinea pig and changed her eyes, that had been happening a lot lately. Everything was distant.
Peter opened the car door and tapped on her shoulder. "Mikala?" He tapped on her again. She twitched quickly before turning her eyes to him. "Are you okay?"
Mikala shook her head quickly to clear it. "Um yeah, I'm cool. I was just thinking of what way to go with my story....yeah." She still looked in a daze, so Peter helped her out of the car. When she stood up, she was in perfect balance, like a cat. He almost expected her to topple over from the way her eyes looked. Mikala stared at him for a moment. "You're a sweet guy Parker?" Smiling brightly, she leaned in with speed that shocked Peter, and kissed him on the lips.
Instantly, Peter grabbed her arms and pushed her away. "Wha-what do yo think your doing?" It felt…Blech! He literally felt sick to his stomach after she had done that.
Confused, she said honestly, "Gave you a peck."
Peter began to spit out words. "I-I have a girlfriend."
Mikala stared at him dumbfound. She knew he had a girlfriend, but she was surprised at how he reacted. He didn't linger, he pushed her away immediately and that baffled her. "You thought I was…" She busted into a fit of laughter. "Oh n-no!" She looked at Peter's confused face, hoping to keep the act up as long as she could. "I-I'm sorry but this is hi-hilarious!" She stopped laughing long enough to give Peter an answer. "Folks back home always give each other pecks. It wasn't like full blown tonsil hockey or something." She began to laugh again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know people up here didn't do that."
Peter had seen people give each other pecks on the lips, but….but nothing. He just made a fool of himself. Blushing quickly, he said, "I'm sorry. I just…man, I just made a fool out of myself."
She patted him on the shoulder. "No, I'm the fool. I guess next time I should read into New York customs before I do anything else. Don't worry, I'll be sure not to do it again." She smiled brightly again. "Gosh you're cute when you blush. You remind me of my little brother."
Peter looked at her sheepishly. He had seen people do that before, but, when Mikala does it, when Mikala does anything, it doesn't feel right. So instead, he just smiled and nodded his head as they made their way to the building.
…………………………
Kristina walked into her cold hotel room. She had forgotten to turn the air conditioner off, but she didn't care. Final goodbyes were said but there was no sense of closure.
She walked to her suitcase and pulled out small box. Inside of it was her mother's engagement ring. Kristina rolled it around in her fingers as the diamond sparkled from the light hitting it. She down on her bed, still eyeing the ring her father gave her mother twenty years ago as a pledge. She didn't see the wedding ring though….
Clutching the engagement ring tightly, for the first time, Kristina cried for her mother. She was tired of fighting the tears and hiding the sadness. She shed her tears in near darkness finally letting go. She cried herself to the point of delusion. She couldn't tell if she was awake or not, but she could feel the wetness on her cheeks, even in that state of mind.
She was laying there when she felt light for a moment and then warm, almost like a touch. It felt like something was floating around her, words perhaps? She didn't know, but it was so calming and soothing that her crying left her. Her tears ceased and for a brief moment, so did her sadness.
The next morning Kristina got up quickly. When she looked down, she was under her sheets. Did she do that? She glimpsed to her hand to see that small ring still being clutched tightly. Instantly, she thought of her mother. She wasn't one who outwardly believe in angels, but it didn't feel like her mother. So who was it?
"Maybe it was nobody and you're just going crazy," she said angrily. She glimpsed down at the ring again as a small smile came to her. Still…it was a nice thought.