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Chapter 13: Sprung!

Whistling as he came down the steps two at a time, Peter was happy. He'd shot off a couple of rolls of Erica as Spider-Man, and was positive that when he developed them, he'd have a number of good shots. She had dropped him off back home before heading out to cover an area she hadn't gone before. "I want to familiarise myself as much as possible with the environs - reading maps and memorising them is O.K, but unless I know them physically as well I could still get lost. I don't want to be constantly dropping down at street corners to check out signposts."

Fair's fair. He shifted Erica's rucksack to one shoulder so he could take the apartment keys out of a side pocket. Going in, he had a sense of deja vu; Mary-Jane was seated on the couch again, as she had been the previous afternoon.

"What is this?" he laughed, "Developing a new habit of dropping in for an afternoon coffee? I thought you were on your way back…"

"I cancelled my flight. I wanted to see you again."

"That's very gratifying. Coffee?" Peter dumped the rucksack on a chair and headed into the kitchen. "I'm frankly surprised though. What else brings you back - besides my handsome face?" Mary-Jane's eyes were not on Peter's face. He followed hr gaze - she was looking at Erica's rucksack. Peter's happy mood abruptly vanished, as if it were a balloon that had been stuck by a pin.

"Several things," she replied, "I figured I was more likely to get a few answers from you in person. For one, there's something funny about your 'cousin'. How do you know she is who she says she is? What if she… what I'm saying is, I think you have to be more careful. You left your costume in the bathroom yesterday - what if she had walked in and seen it? I take it she doesn't know about your extra curricular activities. I'm also not satisfied with your explanation of last night. What is happening there? The truth this time…"

'If this was one of Erica's comic books', thought Peter, studying Mary-Jane's face while she waited for an answer from him, 'right about this time…'

There was a thud and a knock at the open window and a pair of booted feet, followed by a couple of legs and then the rest of a spandex-clad body shot into the room and landed with a flourish on the lino. Peter dropped the kettle he'd been holding on to the counter in surprise. As the red-and-blue costumed figure raised itself to standing, he recovered, and knew the game was up for himself and Erica. He got the feeling he'd shortly be in big trouble with Mary-Jane. Erica was right; he should have told MJ earlier.

Mary-Jane's eyes narrowed, and she looked from the figure, and then past it to Peter in the kitchen. Peter heard the figure say "Bummer" under it's breath, before it folded it's arms across it's chest. It stood there, with it's large eyes on Mary-Jane.

"This is your 'cousin', right?" Mary-Jane asked Peter, "Did she get bitten by a radio-active spider too? Or perhaps she's a female clone of you…" she finished sarcastically.

There were two simultaneous sighs. Peter winced at the last remark as he picked the kettle up, put it on to boil, and came out into the living area. He wondered why Erica's spider-sense hadn't warned her before she torpedoed in. He shifted Erica's rucksack onto the table and sat down in the chair it had vacated. "I guess this won't sound any weirder than some of the things you have heard…"

"Try me."

Peter motioned to Erica to sit down. She hesitated. Peter wondered what she was going to do. She went towards the other wooden chair, taking off the Spidey mask as she did so. She laid it on the table next to her bag. But instead of sitting in the chair, she 'sat' halfway up the wall. Her black eye and fat lip were painfully obvious.

"…trying to get her back," finished Peter. He watched Mary-Jane watching them both in turn, her long red hair swinging as she moved her head from side to side.

"You've really lost your powers?" she asked, almost incredulously.

"Yep. All gone. As you can see, Erica's got them."

Erica spoke for the first time - she had been silent while Peter explained the situation to Mary-Jane. "Only temporarily I hope. Though it's taking longer than I expected."

"Take all the time in the world, I sure don't mind." She set her clear green-eyed gaze on Erica's face. "You don't look like you're too good at dodging yet."

Peter winced again, this time on Erica's behalf. He took a breath to defend her, then let it go; Erica was capable of defending herself, even if she did sport a black eye. Anything to deflect Mary-Jane's attention away from him. Ironic given that a couple of days ago he was wishing for more attention from her.

Erica's face stayed still. "Verbal attacks I can deal with - physical attacks I'm fast learning to. So, what's your problem?"

The two women confronted each other, bodies tense, eyes not leaving the other's face. The whistling of the kettle behind was increasing in intensity as well, adding a sort of descant to the scene. Peter worried that there'd be an all-out argument, he hoped it wouldn't escalate into a fight - Erica might forget her strength, and he didn't want Mary-Jane hurt at all. But as the kettle's whistle reached it's climax, Mary-Jane dropped her shoulders as the tension left her body. She gave a little laugh.

"Attitude," she said, "You could almost be a New Yorker!"

"Well, I know what 'TriBeCa' stands for, but I'm afraid I'd get lost in the subway."

"Coffee?" suggested Peter again, raising his eyebrows and pretending that an altercation hadn't almost taken place.

"Thanks." Mary-Jane sat down on the couch again.

Erica hopped down from the wall and said "I'm going to change - back in two shakes of a dog's hind leg." She headed off to the bathroom, taking her bag from the table as she went.

Holding an empty coffee cup in one hand, Peter gave a questioning look at Mary-Jane. She sighed. "So how are you really?" she asked.

"Bearing up. How are you?"

"Confused. I don't know whether to be glad you've lost your powers, or sad. We've been through it before, and I thought everything was going to work out for us at last, but it didn't happen that way."

"No, it didn't." agreed Peter.

"And if it is only temporary this time…"

"It looks likely."

"…then I shouldn't get my hopes up, should I?"

"Well, I'm torn too. I could take this as a chance to retire, but… it's not only up to me." Peter put the mug down, and took a tea-bag out of its cardboard box. He poured hot water over it and left it to brew for Erica. The coffee was perking away. "Erica's been handling it, sort of, up to now, but… I don't know how I'd convince her to take over."

"You could just not find the way to get her back home - if she can't get back she'd still have the Spider powers - and you won't."

"I still think she'd prefer to go home… she couldn't stay for real long anyway - she's an illegal alien."

"Who's an alien?" Erica was back, dressed in a shirt and jeans. Her feet were bare. She padded into the kitchen squeezing past Peter and fished the tea-bag out of her cup with her fingers. She dropped it into the sink, poured milk, and came out into the lounge again where she leant against the door to the apartment, wrapping both hands around her steaming cup.

"You are." Peter poured the coffee. He saw Erica pull an expressive face of disgust.

"I feel like one too. I'm not in my own skin anymore. I'm trying hard to fit into this new one. Spirited away unnaturally from home, dumped in a strange place where I know no-one, people around with bizarre abilities, me gaining unusual strength, reflexes and senses, sticking to walls… living a fiction. It's at times surreal, unreal."

Mary-Jane looked at Erica with interest. Peter could see her considering Erica's viewpoint; She was so used to being around the spider powers, that to find them in context with someone else who hadn't lived with them for years must give her a new perspective on them. And maybe, a new perspective on him too.

"I never… we were just kids when Peter became Spider-Man. I didn't know him then, but I can imagine it was different for him to begin with… Did you feel alien?" Mary-Jane turned and asked Peter.

"Nah, it was strange, but exciting - lots of fun… for a while."

Silence. Peter could hear the tap dripping into the sink . The noise of the traffic, which was normally like so much aural wallpaper, came drifting in through the open window. He stirred, about to change the topic, but Mary-Jane beat him to it.

"So," she asked Erica, "What are you going to do if… when you do get home again? You'll've been gone for a while. Would you be on the missing persons list?"

Erica stared into her mug. "I hadn't thought. I dunno how I'd explain… The police'd be suspecting foul play, with my bank account untouched and all… Maybe no one's missed me - my Mum lives the other end of the country, my Dad's dead, work'd be pissed off but not worried, and my friends… they're used to me hibernating - I can be rather insular."

Mary-Jane looked at her hard. "Are you sure you and Pete aren't related?"

She raised her head and chuckled. "I don't have any cousins, but I'd choose Peter for one if I had to." She looked at Peter. "How about it, Pete? Will you be my Courtesy Cousin?, my cuz?"

Peter felt a peculiar sensation in his chest. It was as if a tightness he hadn't noticed was slowly loosening, spreading outwards. He caught his breath in a sort of hiccup. "With pleasure, Cousin Erica." Being able to choose your relations, to choose to have a cousin - Peter found he was grinning like an idiot. He glanced in Mary-Jane's direction and was relieved to see that she was smiling as well. He was glad it was all out in the open now - nothing hidden from Mary-Jane. He should have remembered how perceptive she was.

The perceptive woman was now picking her bag off the floor and donning her jacket. She was relaxed and poised once more as she passed her coffee cup to Peter. "I gotta go - plane to catch." She said. Peter's face fell.

"I…I thought you said you'd cancelled your flight?"

"I had. But I also booked a later one. I'd better go now if I don't want to miss it."

"But…"

She placed a hand on Peter's arm and leaned forward to give him a brief kiss. "Ciao, Tiger. I'll call you later, we've still got things to discuss. Take good care of your cousin, and don't beat up on her too much - people might start talking." She winked at Erica, who grinned back and moved away from the door. They faced each other again, this time without the animosity. Mary-Jane held out her hand and she and Erica shook hands. "We may not meet again," she said, "but I wish you luck." She turned and gave a wicked smile as she went out the door. "You'll need it!" was her passing shot as the door closed.

Erica threw back her head and laughed. Her laughter was infectious, and Peter found himself laughing too, although quite frankly, he was puzzled. How could she find that funny - how could the two women be friendly with each other when so short a time ago they had almost been at each other's throats? Women.

When Erica finally calmed down, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, she asked Peter "What now?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. Dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Whaddya gonna do later - you truly gonna case out the Moroney joint?"

"Yeah, too right mate."

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Next: "We were right…"