PART ONE: A HARD BARGAIN

Tuesday, October 29

With a thwack, the ball rebounded and sizzled through the air towards Peter's head. A flick of the racquet sent the ball back at the wall to rebound, whipping at his opponent. A hoarse shout, and the ball was speeding back. Peter saw it moving at full speed, but his mind was just that much faster; he instinctively knew its path, where it would ricochet from the wall, how it would approach him, the ground he would have to cover. He stepped forward almost far enough, let out a shout, and missed the ball by two and five sixteenths inches.

"Harry," he panted, "you're an animal." The ball caromed off the back and side wall then dribbled along the floor.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said with a grin, wiping his forehead with his fuzzy wrist bracelet. "Whew, you really had me going, Parker."

"You also know," Peter said with a gesture, pretending to struggle for air, "one of these days I'm gonna whup you."

"We all gotta dream," Harry said with a huge grin. His normally immaculate mat of wiry auburn hair was disheveled, and his pointed pixie face was mischievous with victory. Both young men had sweat maps on their shirts.

"You know you're in my dreams," Peter said with a grin, batting his eyelashes.

"Whyyieotta," Harry said, then he threw up his hands. "Let's get moving. Class at three." They grinned at each other.

"Nature of Science, right?" Peter said. Harry nodded. "Yeah," Peter said, "I got News Writing. Wish I'da remembered that when we were playing. I could have closed my eyes and got my head knocked off."

"What's that got to do with it?" Harry asked as he opened the small door in the back of the court. "Like you need your head to work for a newspaper."

xXx

A few minutes later they were in their street clothes and headed out of the gym when the door opened and an attractive redhead wafted in.

"If it isn't Mary Jane Watson, International Dilettante, prowling for prey," Harry said with a grin. "What are you doing here, MJ?"

"Oh, just came for a whiff of testosterone," she said wryly. "Harry, I had Gwen drop me off because I figured you'd be slapping those little blue balls around." She arched an eyebrow. "Take me costume shopping! I command it!" she said imperiously.

"I have class in less than half an hour," Harry said, checking his watch.

"Uh, yeah, Nature of Science. Because somebody's hard up for a GE credit. But if you go, you take a nap," she said thoughtfully, "so instead… you should take MJ costume shopping."

"Good luck, Harry," Peter said, slapping him on the shoulder with a grin.

"Okay, you've bewitched me," Harry sighed. "We go costume shopping." He turned to Peter. "By which she means she's going to go get me a costume. I wanted to be Gomez Addams. She said no."

"Gotta stay thematic, and Morticia is not a redhead," Mary Jane said with a toss of her hair. "I got a few ideas. Let's jet."

"Okay, we're on our way," Harry said. "Soon as I drop Parker off."

"I think he'd rather walk," Mary Jane said, suddenly serious as she looked straight at Peter.

Harry hesitated. "Oh, come on," he said, "It's on the way."

"Wouldn't you, Parker," she said, not taking her eyes off Peter. Her voice was chilly. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'd be glad to walk," Peter said to her, then to Harry, "No big deal. I'll see you tonight," he said with a wave.

"See you later," Harry said with a small wave. Mary Jane grabbed the strap of his gym bag and pulled him through the door.

Peter sighed, hefted his bag, and walked out the front door in time to watch Harry's car pull away from the curb, stereo thudding. Mary Jane bothered to turn and wave at him, something cold in her eyes and something sharp in her smile. He smiled and waved back, then started trudging towards the campus. He should be able to make his three o'clock class on foot.

xXx

"I wish you wouldn't be so hard on him," Harry said, turning the stereo down. "He's paid his rent, full share, on time, for months. He's got better clothes, he pays attention in school, he even gets his freelance photography done. It's turned into a real job for him. Maybe, just maybe, you can reconsider your grudge. Yeah, he's a geek, but he's a reforming geek."

"No," Mary Jane said, settling back in the seat and crossing her arms. "I will never forgive him for what he did to Gwen. He broke that poor girl's heart. She didn't know any better and she threw everything she had down the Parker Hole and she's still wobbly about it." She started ticking off points on her fingers. "He's a cad. He's a liar. He stands people up. Everybody who's dumb enough to trust him gets burned." She shook her head. "I just can't see it. And I don't want to have a perfectly good afternoon of costume shopping ruined by you busting out nice things to say about that jerk. Okay?"

Harry stared at the road. "Whatever, MJ, whatever."

xXx

Almost five thirty. Peter slung in the front door, tossed his heavy book bag in the chair, and scooped up the phone. He punched in a number that was so memorized that he didn't even have to stop to think. He spun around with the cordless and paced into the living room.

"Parker residence," came a wavering voice on the other end. "May speaking."

"Hey there, pretty lady," Peter said with a grin. "What's up?"

"Peter, hello," she said. "Good to hear from you."

"I was wondering if you have any swingin plans for Halloween. Figured you'd be distributing tooth decay," Peter said.

"And apples," Aunt May said indignantly.

"Sure, apples," Peter grinned. "Hey, if you want some help, I'm your man."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Don't you have a party to go to?"

He hesitated for just a moment. "Actually, all the good parties are on the weekend," he said with a grin. "Whose bright idea was it to put Halloween on a Thursday, anyway?"

"If you would like to help, that's wonderful," Aunt May said. "I plan to start at six."

"I'll be there with bells on. Er, not bells," he said. "I will find some kind of costume, though, promise."

"See you Thursday," Aunt May said with a smile. "Goodbye, Peter."

"Catch you later," Peter said, and she hung up. He smiled for just a moment, then glanced at the clock as he put the phone on the cradle.

Plenty of time to get to his six o'clock dinner meeting.

xXx

Peter slid down into the booth, his hair still slick from his shower. He grinned at the young man seated in the booth across from him. "Afternoon, Herr Ramsey."

"Hello, Peter," the distracted man said, glancing around. His piercing blue eyes returned to Peter. "All good news today. Your bonus has been transferred to your account, the fall issue is selling like hotcakes, and I have your next assignment."

"Lay it on me," Peter said, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head, looking up at the ceiling.

"Contact. Get pictures of contact. Any kind that's interesting." After a fraction of a moment, he added, "No porn."

"Right," Peter said thoughtfully. "Contact, huh."

"Ties into epistemology, love, religion," Doug shrugged. "Here's our pizza."

"Doug," Peter said very seriously, "I think you just saved my life." The waitress slid a huge deep dish Ultra Supreme Luckee's Pizza on the table. "I'm about to drown in my own salivation."

Doug smiled. "Dig in. Do you read the paper?"

"Nope," Peter said, lifting out a huge mass of pizza and putting it on his plate. "Too depressing."

"Maybe this won't be," Doug said. He put a clipping on the table. Peter peered at it with interest.

The headline caught his eye immediately. Mystery Photographer Shoots from the Edge.

"Hey!" Peter said, pizza forgotten. "That's me!"

His bio photo from the Planetary was with the article. He rapidly scanned the page. "Edgy and unusual, even bizarre," he skimmed, "A unique aesthetic," he glanced at Doug, raised an eyebrow, and polished his nails on his lapel, then back to the article, "came out of nowhere." He blinked. "All nice things," he said, his voice lost in wonder.

Doug grinned. "I thought maybe you hadn't seen it. That's your copy." Doug took a bite of pizza, reminding Peter he was starving.

After a few minutes of catastrophic damage to the pizza, the conversation resumed.

"Do you think you'll do other freelance work, or stick with the Planetary?" Doug asked.

"This is big," Peter said. "I mean, wow. But the Planetary has done good by me, and that's about all the work I can handle at the moment. Don't worry. I'll take care of you guys," he said with a grin.

Doug leaned back and smiled. "The Doctor will be most pleased to hear that."

"I just bet he will," Peter grinned back.

xXx

Peter cruised down the block, looking at the bungalow he shared with Harry. Harry's car, Mary Jane's car. The curtains closed, the lights on. Must be trying on costumes.

Or something.

Peter didn't know he was gritting his teeth. He sighed. Okay. Relax. He smiled to himself. Just go to a movie. Yeah.

He pulled around the corner and just kept going.