11 Mary Jane finished off her pasta sauce with some rosemary. When she was a little girl her mother used to come up crying after an argument with Mary Jane's father. They would hug and her mother would tell her the story of the Rosemary Princess.

It was basically the story of Mary Jane, locked up in a tower with her evil father and her mother who loved her very much. One day, the wicked father went too far and a handsome knight climbed up the walls of the castle and rescued the Rosemary Princess and married her. They had a pink cake and pasta with rosemary sauce. The story was so sweet, thought Mary Jane.

Smelling a fragrant twig filled her heart with hope for the knight and the princess. She placed the two bowls on the glass table and lit the candles. Mary Jane's glance hit the naked wall. The mirror had been taken away but couldn't be repaired as it was too broken for that. So was Peter's psyche, thought Mary Jane. Her glance caught the black ribbon edged invitation to Harry's funeral. Peter and MJ decided they were going together. MJ didn't want to go but she knew Peter needed a shoulder to lean on and from now on, that shoulder was her.

MJ looked around the room. Everything was ready but something was missing.

"Music!" she snapped her fingers.

Hitting 'PLAY' on the stereo, Mary Jane danced her way round the kitchen to Madonna's 'Get Into the Groove'. Singing into her red wooden spoon, Mary Jane had hit the line, 'We might be lovers if the rhythm's right,' when she spotted Peter in the doorway, laughing. She took his hand and dragged him into her arms.

"I'm tired of dancing here all by myself!"

"I'm not a good dancer," said Peter, undoing his tie and top button.

"Tonight I wanna dance with someone else!"

"MJ!"

"You gotta prove your love to me!" He smiled and gave in. They didn't really dance, just mouthed and jump up and down. When the song ended, Peter kissed MJ on the lips and they sat down at the table. He poured some red wine from the bottle and MJ took her napkin and arranged it on her lap. They said grace and started to eat.

"So, how's Liz?"

"Come on, MJ, you avoided her. She went to chess club with me. I don't think you even knew she existed."

"I did too!" She was lying but hoped she sounded genuine. She just sounded desperate.

"To repeat, MJ, she was in chess club with me. I doubt you did." He looked at her in the eyes and she faltered. 'Live to Tell' started to play.

"Well, maybe I didn't know her as well as I'd liked to."

"It doesn't matter." She touched his hand. "She's okay. She works at the Bugle now."

"You're kidding!"

"No! She looks good now, too."

"Don't go astray."

"Not as good as you." Mary Jane blushed. He always knew how to make her feel better.

"She got contacts." Peter sidetracked a bit. "I think she suspects me."

"Suspects you of what?"

"Being who I am," he said quietly.

"Spider-Man?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about it Peter. She can't do. I didn't know until we saw eachother more often." MJ shrugged and spooned more pasta into her mouth.

"But if we work at the same place I'm going to see more of her, aren't I?"

"Peter, chill! Eat! Relax!" she said, her mouth full of half-chewed pasta. He nodded. Mary Jane saw his bruised cheek. "Is that a hand I see, Peter Parker?"

"Yes. Liz thought I was coming onto her. I told her I had a girlfriend and she went berserk." Peter shrugged and sipped his wine. Mary Jane smiled. "You're happy I got slapped?"

"No! I'm just touched that I'm your girlfriend now." They leaned over and kissed. 'Papa Don't Preach' came on.

"This one's depressing," said MJ. "Forward it, will you?"

"Is this my CD? I don't like Madonna.. but I'll have to get back to you on Spider-Man." he said, smiling at his own joke. Mary Jane didn't hear the joke.

"No. It's mine. I went back to my apartment and bought it back here." She fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Peter pressed the button. MJ took another sip of wine.

"MJ, you okay?" Her eyes glistened. 'Open your Heart' was next. MJ looked down. She had started to cry. Peter got up and knelt down next to her chair.

"MJ, what is it? Open your heart to me." She smiled and then cried more. She held out her arms. He hugged her. "Shh. Shh. Tell me."

"You look a little sad I wonder why."

"That song has more meaning to me than the others." Peter couldn't follow on.

"Why? What does it mean?"

"Papa don't preach."

"Oh.MJ.I'm so insensitive, baby." Peter stopped because MJ howled. It was really disturbing to watch her in front of him. She looked like she was coming apart at the seams. "What?"

"Baby! I'm keeping my baby! Except I didn't get the chance to! He told me to get rid of it! He even made me tell the father."

Peter stood up. He ran his hands through his hair and stared at MJ.

"MJ, who was the father?" Peter knelt down next to her. "Who?"

"Who?" MJ sighed. "He made your life a misery. He made my life a misery."

"Flash Thompson?" she nodded. Peter turned the volume right down at the beginning of 'La Isla Bonita'. He hugged her. "Did you want to."

"Keep it? Yes, of course. But I knew I couldn't."

"No, I mean did you want to sleep with Flash?" She shook her head.

"He raped me." Peter bit his lip. "It was a month before grad. He pinned me down and just.. I found out the day before the science trip. I was feeling so down. I hadn't told my parents but I planned to the next day. I felt.. so bad..Then as I stared at that empty block you asked for my picture. It made me feel good. About myself. About the.." Peter kissed her on the cheek.

"When I was on my way to school that day and my dad was telling me that I was trash? I know you heard. I knew you followed me all the way to when I got in the Mustang. It felt like somebody on this earth cared. Then I slipped up in the cafeteria and I thought I was going to die. Being pregnant does that to you. And I was caught by my knight in shining armour." Peter didn't realise how much she had cared about him before.

"The day I broke up with Flash was the day I told him. I wanted him to understand. About the baby, about my dreams. He wouldn't but that little bit of hope inside me said he would. When he didn't want to, I broke up with him. He just wanted us to be together but he wanted me to get rid of it. I couldn't do that. But after that day I knew I couldn't keep it." She started to cry harder.

"After the op I asked if it was a boy or a girl. It was a boy." Peter stood her up and held her closely. As if MJ hadn't had enough turmoil already. Peter felt more love for her in that moment than in any other. MJ was beautiful, talented, a little ditsy but cute in it, could cook and then she had another quality. She was brave. Even braver than him, Uncle Ben, Aunt May and Harry put together. That was brave. He jogged the volume toggle. 'Cherish' played softly.