Part Three

            "This is just horrible news." Norman declared empathetically placing his hand on Peter's shoulder as the young Parker stood in the Osborn household. "What will become of you my boy? Your first day of school since…well, you know, was supposed to be tomorrow."

            Peter shrugged staring at Harry who sat on the couch lifelessly. He turned his attention back towards the elder Osborn, "I don't know. Uncle Ben's in police custody and MJ's been returned to her parents. I'll have to figure out something."

            Norman clicked his tongue, "How about this, you live here for awhile, free-of-charge. I'll make sure that any bills your uncle owed are paid during his stay in the confines on a jail cell." He took in a sort of sadistic pleasure in saying those words, "In the meantime, I'll have my lawyers look into this."

            "I don't want to impose." Peter replied.

            "Don't bat an eye, Parker." Norman smiled, "I wouldn't do any less for my own son."

            Peter nodded as the tycoon walked over to the phone in the kitchen. He took a cautious step towards the couch, "Hey Harry. How are you doing?" There was no response from the younger Osborn, just a blank stare at the walls of the penthouse. "If you have a problem with this just say so."

            Harry turned his head towards Peter, grimaced and returned to his blank stare like some sort of automaton.

            "Peter, can you get in here. I need some information to give the school's principle tomorrow." Norman called from the depths of the sterile kitchen.

            "Sure." Peter responded and looked one last time at his friend, "I'll talk to you later, I guess."

            Dennis Watson smirked at his daughter sitting on the end of her bed. "Well, I hope this teaches you a lesson." He said rubbing the back of his hand menacingly. "Don't ever think you're better than me."

            Mary Jane sniffled and held the tears back. The side of her face had a large red mark where a hand had struck the skin.

            "Don't think that you can leave me behind like some piece of trash." Dennis stated walking towards the door, "Push me hard enough and I might just snap that little neck of yours, you slut."

            MJ began to cry despite her best efforts, the walls seemed to be closing on her. She had been free, safe. Within moments it was gone, she was back in her own personal hell.

            Dennis snorted, "Don't give me that. It might work on your mom but it won't get any mercy from me." He approached her and stretched his fingers out, "I'm smarter than she is, I can see when somebody's pulling the wool over my face." He violently slapped her across the face.

            MJ covered her cheek with her hand and pulled away as far as she could from the reach of her father.

            "Go clean yourself up for Christ sakes." Dennis said leaving the room disgusted, "You're pigs, all of you."

            "Well, if it isn't the dead, come back from the grave." Flash Thompson remarked slyly as he leaned against a locker as Peter walked through the halls of the school. "You missed the test yesterday."

            Peter smiled and rushed over to his friend, "Damn, it's good to see you again." He said behind a wide grin, "How are you doing, man?"

            Flash shrugged, "Same old. You've been out for weeks, drove half the faculty crazy, they were wondering where their star child was."

            "I'm sure you read about it in the Bugle. Jameson still is chewing me out for vanishing so unexpectedly." Peter recalled the editor's accusations of laziness with glee. If only he knew. "Where's Mary Jane?" He said curiously staring down the halls for a redhead.

            Flash became tense and pulled Peter to the corner of the hallway, "Listen, I heard what happened with your uncle; I want to say I'm sorry."

            "Yeah, so am I." Peter replied, "Where's MJ."

            The jock brushed his blond hair back and sighed, "Her parents transferred her out of the school. I hear she's attending P.S. One-Fifty-Nine."

            "What?" Peter asked alarmed at the sudden news.

            "It's a tough school." Flash noted, "I guess if anyone can make it, it'll be MJ. Listen, I got a game later tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to go, sort of a welcome-back. I think you need to relax, anyway."

            Peter shook his head, "Sorry, I can't."

            "Listen if you're worried about some of the guys bothering you, I can keep them off your back. I might have gotten all soft on you, Parker, but that doesn't mean I can't knock a few heads together, anymore."

            "No, it's not that." Peter responded, "I just need time to think. My situation just seems to be getting worse every day." He rubbed his brow moments before the first bell rang, "I've been out for over a month and I'm already burned out." Peter shrugged, "I'll see you later."

            Ben Parker had been informed of the charges against him and had consulted his lawyer. Things looked grim. The Watson family was pressing charges on abduction of a minor and it looked like they could put Ben away at this point.

            The jail cell was fairly typical, filled with all sorts of booze hounds and such. He stared at the officer sitting down reading some novel about aliens.

            Ben lowered his head defeated and tugged on his lower lip nervously. The lawyer's inexperience had shone through on their meeting. His previous counsel had died a year ago and the replacement seemed to be green as hell.

            "Now, if this isn't a surprise." Norman Osborn stated standing on the other side of the bars staring in at the old man. "I heard about what had happened. I'm surprised your better judgment didn't come into play and prevent you from making such a mistake." He smirked, "But of course you are old. The mind tends to slip at your age."  

            Ben sighed and stared into the tycoon's cold eyes, "If you're here to try and cut me some kind of deal and force me to beg, you can forget it."

            Norman laughed, "Not at all. Do you really think I'm that petty?" He took a closer step to the bars, "There's nothing for me to gain by just watching you lay around in a cell with the rest of this glorious cities' criminal population."

            "Then why are you here?" Ben inquired.

            "I just wanted to inform you that Peter will be staying with me." Norman stated, "Until you clear this up, or your sentence ends. Whichever one is first."

            Ben grimaced, "You're a bastard, Osborn. I won't let you, stay away from Peter!"

            "It was totally his decision." Norman noted, "The boy came to me for help. Although he was too proud to directly ask for it. It's an admirable trait; he should have been born an Osborn."

            "You know what, Norman?" Ben said defiantly, "No matter how bad my situation seems, I can be thankful that he doesn't have you for a father."

            Norman's face grew smug, "You know I never realized how small this cells where, or how small the people in them where."

            "Don't worry." Ben replied, "I'm sure you'll be here any day now. God knows you're overdue."