Anniversary
Peter walked into the living room, his body still somewhat aching from a brief run-in the previous night with a clown calling himself the Shocker; Peter had so tactfully suggested getting new powers before going another round with him again.
With all the business concerning his colorful alter-ego, Peter's life had seemed to taken a back-seat, but this morning things seemed different.
High school was over, it was the midst of a gentle summer and he was looking forward to college. Peter was on his way to NYU as was Gwen and surprisingly Phil Urich, who nobody suspected to be an English whiz.
Mary Jane was on her way to attending an acting school at Peter's urging. He made his way down the stairwell, he had overslept; Ben wouldn't be ticked off too seriously.
"The lights are out." Peter commented suddenly with a tingling sense of danger that he knew all too well buzzing across his skull. He clenched his fist and spun around and immediately felt like he was going to drop a load in his pants.
"Surprise!" A crowd of his friends led by a jovial Uncle Ben screamed nearly giving Peter a heart attack. Amongst the faces he could see, Liz, MJ, Gwen, Phil, Flash, Deborah, and several others.
He smiled, "I ought to go over there and beat the whole load of you." Peter frowned for a minute as his uncle approached him, "What's the occasion?"
"Wow, you must be really out of it, kiddo." Ben commented lightly, "It's your birthday."
"Birthday, it's my birthday?"
Flash laughed, "Everyone remembered but you, Parker."
Peter raised his eyes, "I guess I've been busy these last couple weeks, it just kind of crept on me. Is there a cake?" He asked.
"Uh-oh, he wants his cake." Ben called out to the crowd, "When he was young this kid would tear apart Manhattan if he didn't get a birthday cake. Even I was afraid."
Chuckles emerged from the crowd while Peter flushed red soliciting more laughs. While the party began to get moving the true importance of the date dawned on him. It was almost a year ago, two days from now in fact, it was when I received that spider-bite, its been that long?
Outside in the back-yard, Gwen and Mary Jane stood out on the porch staring at a tree that had obviously been uprooted at some point in its life. "He was happy today." Gwen remarked, "It's been a while since I've seen him smile so much."
"Peter's gotten over his depression over the last few weeks. It's been a good time for him." Mary Jane replied, "What do you think of the cake?" She asked taking another slice.
"It's alright." Gwen dully answered, "So, how are you two?"
Mary Jane clenched her jaw, now feeling the tension between the both of them, "Good, we're both sorting things out, about college I mean, but everything is looking great."
"Oh?" Gwen asked, "Well, I guess I'll be seeing a lot of him at NYU."
MJ frowned and a silence settled in for a moment with which was only broken by Peter's laughing from the inside of the house, "Yeah I guess you will."
After the conclusion of a few games of basketball with a hoop Flash set outside the house, all of which Peter had won through means that were his own little secret, the birthday boy as Flash had called him all day finally took a moment with his uncle.
Ben was cleaning dishes when Peter entered the kitchen, "Oh, what are you doing inside, kiddo?"
"Flash is trying to find if he can get a football." Peter smiled mischievously, "He thinks I'm cheating."
"Well if you ever want to join a basketball team you're a shoe-in." Ben replied, "So what's on your mind? I've seen that face a dozen times and that means you're thinking about something."
Peter nodded, "Yeah I guess it does."
"So what's up?"
His nephew paced across the room for a moment, "Uncle Ben, h-how much did you love Aunt May?"
Ben became motionless except for his gulping, "A lot."
"I wish she could have been here." Peter commented slowly lowering his head, "I miss her."
Ben turned towards Peter and took a step towards the young Parker, "Well, then we're just both going to have to pull double-duty today, aren't we?" They hugged for a moment, feeling how empty the house felt today. "Come on, let's get outside before Flash convinces everyone to play spin the bottle."
Later that night, Peter moved across his room cleaning things up from the now-ended party. Ben was out delivering everyone back to their homes, "Man, one little sip of egg nog and Flash gets all tipsy. I can't wait to see him for Christmas next year." He said to which Mary Jane was forced to hold back a laugh.
"So, Ms. Watson when you become a famous celebrity and I know you will, how about an autograph? That is if you're not too famous for little old Spidey."
MJ grinned, "It depends on how famous I am. I don't know if I can be seen with a spandex wearing superhero." She backed up against the wall with her hands behind her back.
"Oh." Peter remarked with a very particular look on his face and secondly, "Why is that?" He asked moving towards her until they were mere inches apart.
"Because, they might think I'm cheating." Mary Jane replied.
Peter's face was almost upon hers, they're breathing took on a passion of its own with every passing second. "On who?"
Mary Jane's vibrant lips ran across the surface of his, "Take a wild guess."
Spider-Man sat on a ledge full of granite demons and angels designed to forever maintain their vigilant watch over the city streets as he was. "It's been a year since my life changed."
He looked at the building tops below him, "Things are not in the least bit the same. I never expected any of this, May's gone; Mary Jane's here, I'm a wanted man." He said the last bit with levity, "I guess if anything it's an accomplishment. Today's been a pretty dec-." The sensation was beginning, the one that brought terror to his heart. It wasn't just danger; it was something more, death approached.
Peter moved with amazing speed, barely escaping the carnage of an explosion that sent the statues falling to the streets below. He turned to the attacker, "You."
"Since I wasn't invited to the party I decided we should have one of our own!" The Green Goblin loomed over him on his ever-present glider like some sort of nightmare that refused to go away, disturbingly he wasn't wearing his infamous mask instead showing up to this confrontation with the face of Norman Osborn. "Happy birthday, Spider-Man or is it Parker?"
"No." Peter's heart froze.
"What's wrong, Parker, you look horrible, surely you're not surprised to see me." The Green Goblin cackled, "Yes, I know all about you, I know who your friends are, I know the people who love; I've even driven you to school on occasion." He closed in slightly, "I even know about Mary Jane."
"How did you find me?"
Norman Osborn couldn't help but gloat, "You need better friends, Parker."
"I know about you too, Osborn." Peter responded forcefully, "I know that you've been the Goblin from the start."
"So, all the secrets are out, perhaps except one." The Goblin cackled proudly, "I wonder if you've figured the truth out." Norman raised both his hands and gripped the flesh of his own neck, "No need to become nervous, Parker, we're all friends here." What came next began the most horrific transformation Spider-Man had ever witness. Osborn horrifically began to tear his skin away cackling wildly in anticipation. At first, Peter could barely watch, that was until he realized that with every inch of human skin Norman removed patches of green were revealed. The Goblin tore the remaining vestiges of Osborn away to show his true self
Peter grimaced, "What's going on?"
Norman grinned, his eyes glowing brightly, "This is my face." He raised the mask, "This is the fraud." A fake, prosthetic eye on the mask had stood in place over Norman's scarred one. "Whenever you saw me, you were really staring into these wonderful yellow eyes."
"So, what happens next?" Peter asked fully ready for what he expected to transpire.
"At this moment, nothing, I was merely giving you a birthday present. The gloves are off, Peter." The Green Goblin laughed, "Doesn't it feel relieving to no longer have to fear being discovered? Now we can finally get to business. The end will be no mere test of strength between us."
Peter didn't like where this was going, "What does that mean?"
Norman tapped his chin, "Physically, Spider-Man, we've entered a stale-mate, with either party unable to defeat the other. I've decided to change the game."
"If you touch anybody I swear I will turn you over." Peter vowed.
"And surrender yourself to the authorities? Who will believe the word of a wanted man, besides I have friends in the law enforcement agencies that are very influential, you would never be believed."
"Then the news stations." Peter added, "Somebody will let your secret out."
Norman nodded, "Quite true, which is why I'm ready for such a reckless action on your part. Every day until my choosing that you remain silent about our little secret I will allow your precious loved ones to. You say anything and I assure you they will be dead before the next morning."
"So, what you're trying to tell me I have no choice in this?"
Norman cackled, "You never did, Peter, you only deluded yourself by believing you did. However, I promise you that I will offer you a chance for victory, it's the least I could do for Harry's best-friend." He backed away from his nemesis, "Remember, Parker, you brought this on yourself, taking my son from me was just the icing on the cake. Make any attempt to reveal me or hide them and I will put each and every person who calls you friend, lover or son through a very painful agony. I might even record it so that you can see it on CNN night after night as they replay it for the world. Good-bye, Spider-Man and I urge you to take my warning to heart." The Goblin left as abruptly as he had arrived, shattering Peter's life for good. Now there was no turning back, a new very special type of war had been declared between them and the approaching carnage of it all was not in doubt.