Hey! Ok, I've tortured you for long enough... evil grin... so here's chapter 2. I really don't like this chapter, as I ploughed through it when I had writers block and it just doesn't flow well, but I can't seem to make it any better so I put it up like this. I've written the 3rd part already, but before I can put that up I need to write the 2nd, lol. I thought of a better title, how about: "Shock Horror"? Shall I bother changing it and is it possible to change the title? Oh yeah, I'm sure "scarpered" is a real word but my spellcheck says it isn't, so I left it in anyways. ;) And does Peter live in Manhattan? I think he does but I'm not sure... ah well. Please read and review!
Surprise, Surprise!
Part 2
Betty Brant sighed as she walked out of her bank, stuffing her check book into her purse. She looked up at the darkening sky when a drop of water fell on her nose, and scowled. Wrapping her coat more firmly round herself, she crossed the street and turned left; heading for home. She lowered her head to keep the rain out of her eyes and pulled her collar up high, not that it did any good.
Growling angrily as she stepped ankle deep into a puddle, she hurried on through the storm, not paying much attention to where she was going. Suddenly she ran into something hard. Her hands shot out from her pockets as she fell backwards, pin wheeling her arms madly she tried in vain to regain her balance. She closed her eyes in anticipation of impact with the hard pavement, as if it would somehow stop it from hurting as much.
Then, suddenly, she was on her feet. She opened her eyes and saw Peter Parker's intense blue ones staring back into her own.
"Peter?!" She gasped, and he set her upright then released his arms from around her.
"Sorry." He said as a greeting.
"For what?" Betty said blankly. He looked puzzled.
"For kinda walking into you." He said as if it was obvious, and Betty remembered what had happened. The shock of seeing him again had caused her brain to blank out.
"Oh, it's fine!" She exclaimed. Honestly, he could be so dumb sometimes. But cute, definitely cute. She smiled to herself.
"Right, right." He looked embarrassed for some reason.
"So, what you doing out here?" Betty frowned. "Don't you live in Manhattan?"
"Uh, yeah. I was just in the neighbourhood, I'm heading home now actually." He said awkwardly.
Ah. That translated into, 'I was just saving people as Spider-man, and I was about to go into this alleyway to change and web swing home.' Betty smiled.
"I'm glad you're ok, Pete." She said sincerely. She'd seen some of Doc Ock's and Spider-man's fight to the death on TV, and heard that he'd stopped a train, almost killing himself in the process.
"Yeah. Me too." He answered and she laughed a little.
"You're one of a kind, Pete, that's for sure- Peter are you listening to me?" She said, annoyed. Peter's gaze was vacant, focusing on something far off in the distance. Betty frowned at him.
"What's wro-" she started to say, then stopped and gasped as she felt a gun poke her in the side. She froze every muscle, eyes wide in fear and shock as she saw a gun appear at Peter's head as well. Oh great, they were being mugged.
"Don't do anything stupid if you want to live." A voice snarled in her ear and she whimpered in pain as the gun was shoved further into her spine. An arm grabbed her around the neck and she was dragged roughly backwards into the mouth of the alleyway they'd been standing by. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Peter being pushed in a similar way by a guy twice the size of him with a massive tattoo across his large arm.
They came to a stop and the guy holding her snatched her purse from her grasp then roughly began searching through her pockets for more money. She gulped and looked up at Peter, who was having his wallet removed. She looked at him with wide eyes, trying to convey without words for him to do something.
"Don't move." He mouthed silently at her, and she nodded, thinking how handy it was that she could lip-read.
His eyes flicked down to the guy holding him, then back to her. She saw him tense as he judged the distance then he flipped suddenly into the air, knocking the mugger that had been holding him onto the floor. His jump carried him across the alley and behind her. She kept very still then ran as fast as she could when she felt the gun disappear from her back, spinning around she pressed herself flat to the wall and watched Peter kick the guy in the chin. Meanwhile the other man was getting to his feet, and raising his gun...
"Peter!" She screamed for him to move but didn't need to, he ducked and dodged all twenty or so bullets even though his back was to the shooter. Then he span round a shot a glob of webbing at the guys gun, splattering it to his hand and rendering it useless. The man's eyes widened. He swore and yelled, "It's the spider!" while trying to make a break for the alley's entrance, but his feet were suddenly stuck to the floor with a splatter of white web.
Peter then turned to the remaining mugger and knocked him out with a single punch to the head, before tying him up as well. He turned to Betty.
"You ok?" He asked, frowning in concern. She nodded mutely, eyes wide and mouth open. He nodded and picked up their things from the floor, offering her her purse. She took it with slightly shaking hands, and pushed herself off the wall. The conscious man started shouting obscenities at them as they headed out the alleyway, Peter with his arm protectively around Betty, ushering her to safety. He paused momentarily and turning back, shot some webbing at the man's mouth, muffling his curses.
"My, what a vocabulary you have!" He said sarcastically.
Betty laughed nervously. "How did you do that?" She asked as they continued walking down the street. Peter looked at her.
"I was under the impression that you knew who I am..." He trailed off and left it as a question.
"No, I meant dodging those bullets," she explained hastily. "I mean do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?" She joked, half-serious.
"Or something." He said and she stopped walking.
"You're not serious?" She said, eyes wide.
He paused and looked back at her. Tilting his head, he grinned. "No, I'm not serious".
Betty caught up to him and carried on walking. "Oh. I knew that."
Peter rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, sure ya did." Betty punched him lightly on the arm. "No, I can kind of 'sense' when I'm in danger." He tried to describe the strange feeling he'd dubbed his 'Spidersense.'
"Oh! So that's why you looked at me strangely just before we were mugged?" She said in comprehension, remembering how he'd ignored her.
"Almost mugged," he corrected her. "And yes, but I couldn't find where the danger was coming from before it was too late."
"It worked out ok anyway." Betty replied thankfully. Peter nodded.
"Quite a reputation you've earned." She changed the subject.
"Yeah, well I'm surprised Jameson's actually kept quiet this long." Peter said, feeling a little thankful to the old guy.
"I meant those thugs, scarpered as soon as they found out who you are, didn't they?" She smiled at the memory. "JJ's just bursting at the seams to write a scathing editorial, but he hasn't got any proof to back his claim up." Betty explained why her boss had seemingly been so nice to Peter.
"Ah" Peter said. "Shoulda guessed." The feeling of gratefulness towards his boss quickly disappeared along with his smile.
"So, can I expect to see you bringing Jameson more snapshots?" She asked, and nimbly dodged a puddle.
He laughed. "Not in this lifetime, I'm afraid!"
"Yeah, I guess with the way you quit..." Betty said. "Although Robbie wouldn't mind you doing some more freelance for him, but he'd have to get past Jonah..." She frowned in concentration.
"It's ok, Betty. I'll find another job somewhere. And it was worth quitting the way I did just to see the look on ol' JJ's face!" He added and they laughed.
"Yeah. When and if I ever quit, I'm gonna do it the exact way you did!" Betty said, smiling at the thought.
Peter chuckled. "What? Threaten to let the city get blown up unless he keeps your secret identity just that-secret- then climb out a window?"
"Course!" She grinned at him. "Well, I better get going. See you round Pete, and don't give up the night-job!" She called over her shoulder as she ran across the street to hail a taxi.
Peter smiled as she disappeared into the rain. At least some people appreciated what he did. He smiled and shook his head, before shoving his hands in his pocket and walking home. "No," he muttered to nobody in particular. "I won't give up the night-job."
End of part 2
Next chapter will be about Robbie and Peter running into each other, but I've yet to write it! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, go review some more, lol! Oh and remember to tell me if I should change the title or not :P