I don't own Spiderman!

Jewel59: Oops! I put up chapter six first! Well, here's chapter five, redone and I'll put them in the right order now. Sorry, but it may be a while before I get another chapter up. I'll keep trying.

Chapter 5 (Alternate Ending Part 1)

"Jo! Jo!" Jeri yelled into the night.

"Jeri, it's okay. What's wrong?" Jo rushed into the room through the window and hugged her brother.

"JO! WHERE WERE YOU?!" TJ growled irritably from a corner in the room.

"TJ…" Jo turned white, grabbed her brother, and bolted out the window into the night.

"Jo?" TJ winced, his body radiating hurt.

"Sis, where are we going?" Jeri shivered as he clutched onto Jo's jacket.

"We're going to visit a new friend of mine. His name is Peter," Jo shivered as she leapt from building to building.

"Is he a nice guy?" Jeri pouted, "Does he know about you?"

"He knows… because I told him," Jo sighed as she leapt onto Peter Parker's window ledge and tapped on the window.

"Jo?" Peter yawned as he came to the window, "What's wrong?"

"Would you mind if my brother and I stay with you for a bit?" Jo asked.

"Not at all, but why?" Peter frowned as he opened the window and invited them in.

"The friend we were staying with kind of caught me going through the window and I'm not sure I can tell him about well… the new me," Jo stared at her feet. "I'm scared to tell him. I'm not sure he'd understand. He doesn't take to change too well…" Jo stared at the ground.

"You know that you'll eventually tell him if you're that close to him," Peter tried to smile at Jo.

"Yeah, but I don't want him to pity me or think I'm a freak…" Jo spilled out her doubts, but her brother tugged on her sleeve, "What is it Jeri?" Jo gazed into her little brother's eyes.

"Jo, I think TJ loves you," Jeri pouted. "He couldn't care less if you were horribly disfigured and looked like a reptile, he'd still love you," Jeri yawned tiredly.

"You want me to straighten everything out with TJ?" Jo smiled softly down at her little brother as he nodded. "Fine, I promise to go see him tonight, if you stay with Peter and go to sleep."

"I promise," Jeri yawned and climbed sleepily into his sister's arms. "Tuck me in," Jeri ordered in a soft, pleading voice.

"Night little bro," Jo hugged him tightly before following Peter to another room and tucking her brother under the covers, she gave her brother a kiss on his forehead, but he was already asleep.

"So, you gonna go talk to your friend?" Peter asked.

"I try to always keep my promises, Peter. I'll be back for him," Jo nodded towards the room her brother was in.

"I know you will," Peter grinned as he watched her jump out the window and head back the way she had come.

"How could she just disappear?"

"TJ, can we talk?" Jo sighed as she appeared in behind TJ.

He spun around and drew her into a quick hug, "Don't you ever do that to me again! You had me worried sick!"

"I'm sorry TJ," Jo whispered softly into his ear, before kissing his cheek. TJ froze in shock, "TJ, remember our little trip that we saw that fox?"

"Yeah, that was a few days ago…" TJ frowned.

"Well, I… I… I got bitten by it and it must have had some genetic enhancements or experiments done to it, because… well… look at my eyes and… I'll take off my hat when we get inside."

TJ followed Jo into the safety of his own home, and gasped in shock as she removed her hat to reveal two cute triangular fox ears, "Jo, they look great on you!"

"What do you mean?" Jo frowned, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No," TJ laughed. "How can I be mad at you? I lo…" TJ swallowed hard, took a deep breath, scraped up all his nerve, and kissed Jo. Shocked at first, Jo didn't respond, but she quickly gave in and realized with a start that her little brother was right in that TJ loved her, and she loved TJ.

"TJ! Jeri! Jo! I'm home!" TJ's dad yelled as he entered the house.

"TJ, I'm gonna stay at my other friend's house, so that way if that woman, whom I once called mother, looks for me here, you and your father won't be in any trouble," Jo broke their kiss, but continued to remain in TJ's arms.

"Let's go downstairs and tell my dad, then I want to go meet this 'friend' of yours," TJ frowned, not at all pleased with the idea of Jo being anywhere but with him. The sound of something smashing glass caused them both to be on the alert.

"TJ…" Jo stiffened as she caught a foul scent coming from downstairs, "Goblin's here."

"What? Who? Goblin?" TJ immediately became concerned and a bit freaked out.

"I smell… blood…" Jo swallowed with difficulty.

"Whose?" TJ whispered into her soft, velvety ears.

"TJ! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! GET OUT!" TJ's dad screamed in pain.

"Dad!" TJ tried to run downstairs, but Jo restrained him, using her super-strength, as she heard the last wheezing breath of the only father-like figure she had ever known. She carried him out the window and jumped the rooftops until they were outside Peter's window.

"PETER!" Jo hissed as she rapped on the window.

"Jo? What's wrong?" Peter quickly opened the window and hurried them inside.

"Dad…" TJ nearly collapsed with shock and grief.

"Peter, this is TJ," Jo quickly sat down next to TJ and pulled his head in her lap. TJ cried himself, grievously, to sleep.

"What happened?" Peter frowned.

"Goblin came into TJ's home, and killed his dad. He would have got us too, if I hadn't grabbed TJ and jumped out the window…" Jo was shaking in silent fury as Peter left the room. "He's not going to get away with this! I promise you, TJ, he will receive justice!"

"Jo, what's going on?" Jeri yawned as he clumsily tottered over to his sister and TJ.

"TJ's gonna be staying with us for a while," Jo kept one hand on TJ, and opened the other and pulled her little brother to her. "TJ's daddy went to heaven."

"He died?" Jeri bit his lip.

"He was murdered," Jo tightened her hug.

"Does TJ know?" Jeri whispered to his sister.

"Does TJ know what, Jeri?"

"Does he know his daddy went to heaven?"

"I'm sure he does, Jeri, I'm sure he does," Jo kissed her little brother on his forehead and set him next to TJ. Jeri quickly wrapped his tiny arms around the older boy and hugged him like a stuffed bear.

When Jeri was finally asleep, Peter returned to the room, "You really have a way with kids." Jo remained silent. "Well, I'll go looking for Goblin…"

"Not tonight."

"…" Peter stared at Jo in surprise.

"Not tonight. He will be looking for you… and me," Jo stared Peter in the eyes. "You have a girl, right? Go on a date with her, and make sure that Goblin doesn't get her. I'll be fine with these two, but don't go out looking for trouble."

"Alright, I promise. I'll go take M.J. out," Peter gave her a weak smile.

"Hey Peter, thanks for everything," Jo smiled back at Peter.

"It's not a problem."

"Peter, do you think Goblin knows?" Jo frowned.

"Knows what?"

"Who I really am, who you really are, who we love, who our families are…" Jo gazed worriedly down at Jeri and TJ. "Or did he do it randomly?"

"Goblin knows me," Peter frowned. "It's unlikely that he'd know you… but I doubt he knows where I live… now."

"Peter, go find your girl, and keep anyone close to you safe," Jo swallowed hard. "I can protect myself and the ones close to me, but you can protect yourself. Even though I know you can take care of yourself, I've always got your back."

"You're all leaving tomorrow," Peter stated tiredly.

"We'll go back to TJ's and get some cash. Then I'm going back to some of my old stomping grounds, but you'll see me again if I have any say about it. Peter, you'll always be my friend."

"And you will always be mine, and a good partner," Peter let a grin rip across his face.

"Now that that is settled, go protect your loved ones," Jo shooed Peter out the door. "We'll be fine, and we'll see you in the morning before we leave."

"See you in the morning, then," Peter nodded, put on his coat, and walked out the door. As the key turned in the door lock, locking the door shut, Jo could only hope that Goblin was on a random rampage.