Hello there! Chapter 10 is finally here! Whoo double figures! There are 5 more chapters, for anyone who's wondering. Anyways, I'm very happy because I'm getting a cat in 4 days! :D

Surprise, Surprise!

Part 10

Peter stared at the front page, there it was, just sitting there innocently. Announcing his secret to the whole world.

He didn't know how long he sat there, sticking to the wall, with his neck craned in an awkward position to read the article. He had never truly understood or believed the phrase 'time lost all meaning', but now, here in the mess he was in, it hit him with full force. It was only when his neck started to go stiff and fire pains up and down his spine that he jerked out of his trance, and realised he'd read the first line of the article again and again, without ever really taking it in. "Peter Parker is Spider-man!" it screamed.

He shook himself, breaking himself out of the zone he was in, and quickly shot out a strand of webbing to latch onto a copy and snatch it back into his hands. He forgot to pay in his hurry. He just swung off, in the vague direction of his home where MJ would surely be waiting, worried sick.

Burning with dread and curiosity, the two emotions conflicted and he ended up snatching glimpses of the front page as he swung, before hastily looking away, almost afraid of the writing on the ordinary grey paper that left black marks on his gloves. He almost laughed at that thought, but at the same time felt like crying so he compromised and did neither.

His apartment came upon him so suddenly he actually swung past it and had to double back before he could land softly on the balcony. MJ was sitting on the single bed, staring into space distantly, but her head bobbed up when she heard the door handle turn and Peter stepped slowly through.

She rose from the bed, hands clasped together, face pale, her eyes begging him to tell her that it was alright, he'd sorted it out, everything would be fine.

He just shook his head slowly, but it was enough.

"Oh Peter!" she flung himself into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks instantaneously. "Peter" she mumbled into his chest, as he rested his chin on her hair. "What now, Peter? What now?"

He couldn't answer her.

---

MJ stayed for a couple of hours, until the sky began to darken. At first they talked and cried, going through endless possibilities that would somehow undo all the wrong doings of that afternoon, and sat and hugged each other sadly when the possibilities followed through into dead ends.

Peter felt like he was banging his head repeatedly on a brick wall, and with each jolt he was losing just that little bit more of hope. After a while they stopped talking, and just laid in each others arms, consoling each other, taking comfort from the warm embrace.

"MJ?" Peter said quietly, not having enough energy to muster up the will to speak louder.

"Hmm?" She murmured, and stopped her lazy tracing of Peter's arm to glance up into his eyes.

"Don't you have an audition at 7?" He asked, and she looked back down.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"Well," he said patiently, "Don't you think you ought to go?"

She shook her head in answer. "I'm not going" She replied lowly.

"MJ," he said sternly, but she didn't look up. "I want you to go. This could be your big break, your chance to make it in the world. I understand you want to stay here with me and don't feel like doing anything right now, but this is your dream, MJ. Don't let it get away."

She didn't say anything for a long while as she considered his words, then she twisted in his arms and put a hand on his chest to look at him properly. "You're sure?" She said doubtfully, and at his encouraging nod, a slow smile lit up her face.

"Alright tiger. I'll be right back, k?" She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips before hurriedly pulling on her coat and gathering her things. Peter sat up and followed her to the door.

"Be careful, ok? I love you." They kissed again then MJ was gone, dashing down the stairs, her russet hair flying out behind her. Peter sighed and leaned against the door as he watched her disappear from view.

---

He spent the next hour or so doing exactly nothing. Except for worrying ceaselessly, and coming up with plans that wouldn't work. And later ignoring the pounding on his door and shouts through the keyhole from his landlord of "I know you're in there! I want an explanation, Parker!"

Eventually Ditkovich had to give up. Peter knew he was a loyal reader of the Bugle and an avid Spider-man-hater, so he wasn't much inclined in the way of opening the door to an irate landlord who'd no doubt be spitting fire.

And it wasn't as if he knew what to say. When he inevitably came face to face with fans and enemies alike, what was he supposed to say? 'Oh yes, I am actually Spider-man, bit of a surprise, huh?'

Peter laughed aloud at that, smiling the first genuine smile in hours. However it quickly faded as his spider sense buzzed insistently in the back of his mind. It was only faint, the danger was several blocks away, but Peter knew he had to go.

He felt the buzz grow stronger as he pulled his mask on and opened his back window, the one that overlooked the cramped garden, and silently told the people in trouble that he was coming, help was on the way.

As soon as the strong tang of acrid smoke mixed with gunpowder hit his nostrils, he knew he was close. Then he rounded a corner and there the scene laid out before him: Three small figures, two of them in black were lined up on the pavement outside Peter's bank, whilst the alarm wailed from inside hauntingly. As he descended, he could pick out the gun one of the bank robbers was holding to a young black woman's head, and closer still he could see with his eagle-like vision the beads of sweat on her forehead as she gasped with fear.

He felt disgusted, horrified, as the thug jabbed the gun into her temple when she moved, hard enough to make her sway on her feet with inertia.

Speeding up, he outstretched one leg and crashed into the other thug who appeared to be standing guard, knocking him clean off his feet and into a wall. The man slumped down a moment later, unconscious.

The guy with the hostage span round instantly, dragging the woman off her feet as he whirled to face the superhero. Spider-man dropped to his favourite crouch, balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to dodge or attack.

The man growled and made the fatal mistake off switching the gun from the woman's temple to Spider-man. In a flash, the gun was in Peter's hands, and the man was groaning on the floor, suffering from a stiletto-heeled kick to the pride courtesy of the hostage. She gave him one more kick for good measure then glanced up and smiled at Spider-man briefly.

"There's more inside-and thanks." She told him quickly, and he simply nodded before springing through the doorway of the bank.

It was a mess inside. Shattered glass littered the floor, and cowering bank-workers crouched behind desks as the gun-happy thieves shouted orders and periodically let off a round of bullets into the ceiling.

Jeez, must be first timers, Peter thought insanely, they'll attract the police from miles around with the noise they're making...

Shaking the random thought off just in time to dodge a few badly-aimed rounds of bullets, he rolled to his feet and yanked the guns out of two of crooks hands, almost laughing at the comical looks it brought to their faces. The remaining three reloaded as quick as a flash, and Peter was hard put to grab their weapons, but after a few well placed 180 degree kicks and a couple of useful web-blinds, he had the group under control.

He tied them all up together in one groaning heap, unconscious or no, and shoved them unceremoniously into a corner for the police. The cowering workers crept out from their hiding places, looks of relief and awe planted on their faces. Peter did a quick check round, making sure no one needed emergency treatment for wounds but they all appeared to be fine. Nodding to himself, he was about to launch himself out the double doors and into the sky when the bank manager called for him to wait. He paused, with the feeling of apprehension that was a result of knowing what was coming. At least partially.

"Wait!" the rather chubby manager panted, running as best he could up to Peter. "I just wanted to thank you!"

"Sure..." Peter tilted his head, surprised at the show of kindness. Perhaps he'd grown cynical in his old age, he mused to himself.

"And... well... I read the paper today-"

Peter felt his heart sink along with the rest of his gratitude.

"-and, well... if it's true... then... I want to offer my gratitude on behalf of NYC, even if they don't show it sometimes, but doing what you takes guts...I heard you have a job, I mean a proper job... and it must be hard to keep your life in order when you do this as well... so... yes... thanks..." The balding man began to stutter under the impenetrable glare of Spider-man's mask, quailing under his gaze. He glanced nervously around him when Spider-man didn't reply for a long while, feeling that somehow he'd crossed the line, and noticed they'd attracted quite a crowd.

Then, "Your welcome."

Said so softly the older man had to stain to hear it, but the two simple words were all he needed to say. In the blink of an eye the superhero was gone, leaving behind an impressed group of bank workers and one very stunned bank manager.

---

Almost halfway across NY, a young man was cowering in fear of his manager. Eddy Brock had been given the fearsome task of breaking some bad news to J. Jonah Jameson, and so far he might as well have gone and booked his own funeral.

"Sir?"

"What?!" Jameson shot back aggressively, as Eddy Brock timidly entered the room. Normally he wouldn't bat an eyelid at telling someone their dog had died, or their house had burned down, normally he would smirk and gloat and irritate the hell out of the other person, but this time he was breaking the bad news to Jameson, and this time he'd screwed up.

"Sir, the authorities have ordered tests on... on the evidence." He said nervously.

"Tests?! Why the hell do we need tests?!" Jameson exclaimed and brandished his cigar at Brock like a sword, dropping ash into his coffee. "You tell them they can stuff their 'tests' up their-"

But Brock never got to be told where they should 'stuff their tests'. "They just want to run some basic checks on the photos, to check... they haven't been faked." Brock interrupted, before Jameson worked himself into an even worse temper.

"Oh," Jameson said, and took a puff on his cigar to buy him some time. "Well, they can have as many damn tests as they want, this photo is 100 pure gold and they know it!" he finished gleefully, always having to have the last word.

Brock nodded and hastily left, leaning against the outside of the door when he'd shut it. He banged his head repeatedly on the wood.

---

Peter swung home slowly, stewing over the little scenario in the bank. He didn't know why he'd admitted to being Peter Parker, except for the guy seemed trustworthy and it was a spur of the moment thing. Besides, what was the point in keeping a wraps on his identity when it was already smeared all over the front page of every newspaper in New York by now? A secret known to one is a secret, a secret known to two is still a secret, a secret known to three is common knowledge, Peter thought grimly. Well, it's known to roughly a million, so what is it now?

He flipped through his open balcony doors and quickly changed before slumping onto his bed with a heavy sigh.

"Hello? Peter?"

Peter shot straight up and bounded over to the door. When he realised the key wasn't in the lock he turned back to search his room, and finally found them on his desk.

"Peter?"

"Coming, Aunt May!" He called back and opened the door. Aunt May immediately wrapped him in a bear hug, almost choking him. He held onto her tightly, closing his eyes and taking comfort from her as one would a mother.

"I'm sorry, dear." She whispered into his ear.

End of Part 10

There ya go! Next chapter up as soon as I've written it. Oh yeah, I couldn't remember the exact wording of the phrase "A secret known to one is a secret, a secret known to two is still a secret, a secret known to three is common knowledge" so I just made it up. :P Also, I have no idea how bid NYC is or the population is, so I made that up too. :P

Please read and review! Thankies! Bye! (next time you 'see' me I'll have acquired a cat! :D)