A/N: Slightly shorter chapter, but the next will be longer, I promise.

Cheers,

Apteryx.

**************************************************

Chapter 4: My Pal Peter.

Early that evening, at home having dinner with Mary-Jane before going out on his nightly patrol, Peter told her of his close call that afternoon.

"…and I don't know what to do anymore. I have to think of something before it gets worse. If I could just get Marc to forget his obsession, than everyone else would too."

Mary-Jane was interested. "What did Paul say again?"

"I can't do those! Well, maybe I could jack the first one up somehow, but I don't think he'd believe it for a moment – Marc saw how I handled a mugging and would know I could fight back if I wanted to. I'm sure he'd come away even more certain of his theory…"

"What if… what if he actually met Spider-Man. You know, 'my pal Peter tells me you think he's me but he's not, I'm me and he's him', sort of thing."

"I'm not sure I can follow that – besides, without me there too, I doubt it would change his mind." Peter sighed. "I know I've fixed it in the past – looks like I might have to call a favour from Hobie, and get him to impersonate Spidey again."

Picking up the empty plates from the table, Peter took them out to the kitchen.

"Hobie won't be too thrilled," he called out from the other room as he dealt with the dishes. "He wants to put the whole Prowler business behind him now he's got a family; I'll just remind him of it all. Even if he agrees and I manage to set up a time and place, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep my sanity till then. I bet Johnny Storm's glad he never has double identity problems…"

Peter came back out to find MJ still sitting at the table and staring off into space, looking thoughtful. He smiled and waved a hand in front of her face. She came back from where ever she had been, and scowled.

"I hate it when you do that!"

"Lovely dream?"

"Actually, I had an idea…"

"Mm?

"Double identities. You told me once that you had to have a mask under your mask. What if you did the same again? Only, not a mask, just make-up, a disguise… I'm sure I've picked up enough skills to change your appearance temporarily."

Peter lifted Mary-Jane out of her chair and in excitement, spun her high in the air around the lounge, as if he was giving a small kid an 'airplane ride'.

"MJ! That's savage!"

"Thanks… I think. Now put me down already; I'm getting dizzy!"

"I'd forgot that episode about the mask," said Peter, as he lowered MJ gently to the floor, and held her close while she recovered her balance, "I've got such a beautiful, clever, and talented wife…"

They were quiet for a number of moments. Eventually Mary-Jane broke off, and asked Peter, "So, when do you want the make-over?"

"Uh. Does that include a facial massage? Cos I'd settle for another one of those lip massages…"

Mary-Jane pushed him away, laughing at the silly smirk on his face.

"C'mon, when?" she said.

Peter thought out loud. "Now he knows where I live, he's likely to be waiting outside for me tomorrow morning to follow me to school. If I can perhaps way lay him as Spider-Man when he's on his way here, then I can show him my face, send him off, then get back here to clean up before heading off to school myself… Yep, tomorrow morning would be ideal."

MJ slowly smiled. "Fine. I'll wake you in the morning. Now, off you go on patrol, but try not to be too late back."

As he went towards the bedroom to change, Peter wondered about that smile of MJ's. What was she so amused about?

……………………………………………………………………..

"Peter. Peter, hon? It's time to wake up."

"Wha…?" Peter slowly opened his eyes and blinked as Mary-Jane shook him; did he have his eyes open yet? It was still dark. He turned over, burying his head back into his pillow.

"Uh, can't I go to sleep again?… so comfortable…" he murmured.

"Wakey wakey – it's make-up time!"

Peter woke up, properly this time.

"But… it's still night. What time is it?"

"Almost 5.00am…"

"Awww, I only got to sleep four hours ago – this is cruel!"

"It takes at least a couple of hours to do this. Now come on!"

Twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, Peter was in a chair in front of MJ's dressing table, where she had laid a whole range of odd tools and potions. Peter, his hair held back by a head-band and a towel around his shoulders, eyed them nervously.

"Are you going to need all that?" he asked .

MJ laughed, "Probably. Now, keep still."

She set to work. Carefully, and taking the time she needed, she glued thin latex forms to his face, gradually changing the shape of his chin and cheekbones. Strips were used to widen his nose – adding a prosthesis to it would change his mask profile too much – and satisfied with that, MJ began painting his face, making it more sallow in complexion. Shading also changed how the light fell on his face, changing the cast of it. Next, she taped over his eyebrows and added false ones, sparser and lighter in colour.

"Oh, before I go any further – here, put these in."

Peter took the little double container in amazement. "Contacts as well? Where'd you get all this stuff from?"

"Oh… a friend in the biz – I told him it's for a costume party," MJ giggled, "I just didn't tell him what the costume was."

Over two hours had been spent in front of the mirror so far. Peter stared at his reflection, intrigued with the changes made to his appearance already. His eyes were a blue-grey, set in a wide, square face; amusingly he thought, like a blond, lantern-jawed hero from the old golden-age comics.

Or Captain America.

All he needed now, was the blond hair to go with it...

"Hold still there and close your eyes." MJ suddenly whipped the headband off and attacked him with a can of spray and a comb.

When she had finished, his hair was several shades lighter, a different style, and felt like it had been cemented in place.

"There," she said, satisfied, "that should hold."

Peter turned his head slowly from side to side, still not entirely believing the stranger he saw in front of him was himself. "Do you like blondes, or something?" he asked MJ, teasing.

"Only when I'm married to them."

He smiled, finding it a bit difficult with all the stuff on his face.

"How'm I gonna get all this gunk off? I still have to go to school, but not as my third identity. I think I'll call him 'Hank'. He looks like a 'Hank' to me. Hi Hank! Hi Pete."

Laughing, MJ removed the towel from his shoulders and started to tidy up her dressing table. "Here's some solvent for the latex, and cold cream for the make-up. The hair dye will wash out, it's only a one-off application."

"Okay." Noticing the time, he jumped up and grabbed MJ and gave her a squeeze good-bye. "I'll let you know how it goes. Meanwhile… Spider-Hank is on the job!"