Severing Ties

Summary: Things are looking up for Peter. It had been a few months since Doctor Octavius passed away, and Peter was getting his life on track except for a few things that wouldn't let him be. That's all about to change as someone, somewhere, needs Peter, and he's going to be in for a wild ride.

Chapter 15: Unplugged

Scott and Peter found Felicia battered and tired. She was on the side of the road with a note that said to leave Donna there. They complied, and Felicia joined the two men.

"So," Felicia said awkwardly.

"How was prison?" Peter asked.

He was shocked when she laughed. "I didn't go to prison. I went to an insane asylum."

"That's reassuring," he replied.

"They figured I was cured, now," she explained.

"Going to give up your life of crime?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I know Spider-Man very well, and we put the pieces together," Peter lied.

"You can tell her the truth, Peter. Miss Hardy, he is Spider-Man."

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "I knew MJ was keeping something from me! I asked her how she was going to deal with her crush on Spider-Man when she was going to marry you, and she just gave me one of those sly looks. I knew something like this was up!"

Peter wisely kept quiet. Seeing Jackie was the only thing that kept him sane as Scott told him that they'd have to drive back to the school normally, as Jackie needed her rest. After another boring road trip, Peter practically ran into the building, and into Wolverine.

"Where's Jackie?" Peter asked him breathlessly.

"Six feet under?" Wolverine growled. "I don't know."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke? I was told that Jackie was alive and well. I talked to her on the phone!"

Noticing that Peter's voice was becoming hysterical, Wolverine put up a hand to quiet him. "Jack was fine when you talked to her. She's gone, now. We can only guess that she, and that other mutant, Short, went to go save Donna."

"You're kidding."

"Sorry, Parker. I wish I was."

"Coast clear," Jackie whispered to Inigo. They had snuck back into Magneto's hiding place. Jackie thought of a power that would make whoever felt the breeze of the two invisible youths fall asleep. So far, they had only passed a few people.

They explored the small warehouse, only to find that Donna wasn't there. Jackie cursed as Inigo tried to smack her, which was difficult because of the invisibility.

"I can't believe this. You've led us on a wild goose chase," Inigo snarled.

"Shut up!" Jackie commanded. She listened intently with the keenest hearing she could imagine.

"Is she on her way?" an elderly voice asked.

"Yeah. It's going according to plan," a younger man responded.

"Excellent. Now, care to tell me what occurred in the room with Miss Hardy?" the first voice inquired curiously.

"I dunno. The light bulb burned out and I stubbed my toe. The table got knocked over…"

"You mean to tell me that you didn't figure it out?" The older man's tone was dry and disbelieving.

"Figure what out?"

"There's a reason Miss Hardy is called Black Cat. She had some dealings with Wilson Fisk, and her powers that came from that include feline agility, heightened senses, eyesight in the dark, and the ability to cause anyone she comes in contact with bad luck."

"That would explain the light bulb…"

"And so many other things."

"This is useless," Jackie muttered. "Let's get out of here. We can only pray we find her somewhere else."

"Yeah…"

The X-Men decided to keep Peter at Headquarters for the time being. There was nothing left to do but wait. The file was destroyed, disaster averted. The only thing left was hoping the Brotherhood didn't kill anyone.

Peter was getting sick of doing nothing. He still had the cell phone type thing Scott had given him before. He discreetly called Aunt May.

"Peter?" was the tired greeting.

"Aunt May. I'm sorry I haven't come to see you recently. I'm on a very important trip…"

"Doctor Connors was over here the other day, looking for you. You've been missing all your classes, Peter. It's not very responsible," she gently scolded.

Peter sighed. "What I'm doing is much more important than school," he explained.

"More important than your family?"

"Of course not, Aunt May. How could you even ask that?"

"Did you know that Harry was murdered? Or that Mary Jane is in the hospital?"

Peter's breath caught in his throat. MJ, was the only clear thought.

"I didn't think so. You'd better go see her, soon, Peter. She's been in critical condition for the past few days. She's gotten a bit better, but nothing too hopeful."

"What happened?" he forced himself to ask.

"She was hit by a truck."

Cursing himself to hell and back, he said his goodbyes and hung up. Knowing they wouldn't want him to leave, he snuck to the garage to look for something to use for transportation.

"I'd suggest the motorcycle. The One-Eyed Wonder always leaves his keys in them."

Peter jumped, not paying attention to his spider-sense when someone was coming. "Thanks," he said. Standing there, leaning against the frame, was Wolverine.

"Any time. You might wanna try to bring Jack around while you're traveling the country," he commented.

"I'll try, Mr. Wolverine, sir." The man intimidated Peter something dreadful.

Wolverine smirked. "As amusing as it is that you're so scared of me that you call me 'Mr. Wolverine Sir,' you can just call me Wolverine."

"Right. Bye, Wolverine." Peter got on the motorcycle and turned the key. It growled and sputtered to life. Remembering vaguely how his old bike worked, he sped off, making his way to MJ.

He made it, and walked up to the receptionist in the lobby. "I'm Peter Parker. Can I have the room for Mary Jane Watson?" he asked.

"Room 203. May I ask what your relationship to her is?"

"Fiancé," he said. So the lines might be a bit blurred; the exact word unclear. This receptionist didn't need to know that. He started looking for MJ's room. When he found her, she was sleeping. "Mary Jane," he muttered to himself. She was relying on Life Support with tubes coming out of her arms and nose. Her hair was matted, and her face was as gaunt as the day he bumped into her.

Peter sat down beside her and took her hand in his. He hadn't planned on saying anything, but suddenly, everything he'd been through came out in a rush. He told the truth about everything, and at the end of his monologue, Mary Jane stirred.

"Pete?" she tried to say.

A sad smile crossed his lips. "I'm here, MJ."

"I'm so sorry, Tiger." She paused for a breath. "I didn't mean to say those things. I had no idea what I was doing…" She tried to sit up to embrace him.

"Don't strain yourself, Mary Jane," he stopped, and he bent down to hug her. He felt something weird on the back of her neck. "What is this?" he asked himself.

He heard MJ's gasp that indicated pain. "Sorry. Sorry." He pulled back and moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"It's okay. I've just got some sore back there. I have no idea where it came from…" She trailed off and looked straight into Peter's eyes. "I'm glad you're with me, Pete. I love you, and I never meant to hurt you."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, either, Mary Jane." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "You'll be all right, I promise."

"I missed you," she said softly.

"I missed you, too."

"Will you leave, again?" she asked, sounding five years old.

"Yes, but only once you're better, and then you're coming with me," he swore. Damn them all if they disapprove, he thought. He stayed for a few hours, and then he realized he had to get something to eat. "I'll be right back, MJ. I'm going to get some food."

"Food sounds great…are you getting stuff that didn't come from the hospital?" she asked.

"If that's what you want."

"Definitely. The food here isn't fit to feed stray dogs…"

Peter smiled at MJ's joke and headed out. He found a Chinese food joint, remembering that it was MJ's favorite. He waited impatiently for the order to finish. When it came, he sped back to the hospital. He came back to find police, doctors, and nurses standing outside Mary Jane's door.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Mr. Parker, you're under arrest for the murder of Mary Jane Watson," one of the cops started.

"Officer Gage, you can't be serious? We saw the boy leave. He couldn't have done it. He would've gotten here from the food place as soon as humanly possible, and there still wouldn't have been enough time," one of the nurses cut off.

"What's going on?" Peter asked again, angrier.

"Mr. Parker, Mary Jane Watson's Life Support was unplugged," one of the doctors explained.

(A/N: I wanna thank everyone for reviewing. I'd give personal thank yous but I'm just too tired and I hope you accept this as your gratitude. I'm so terribly exhausted! One more thing before I go...whoever is my 60th reviewer gets a chapter dedicated to them and a walk-on role in the sequel! ;-) See you guys later!)