xXx

"You guys have been practicing!" Tandy said warmly as they finished out the run-through. They had limped and stumbled, but hung more or less together, driven by Peter's relentless beat.

"Think so?" Mary Jane said wryly, Band-Aids around her fingertips.

Tyrone just chuckled and swigged a drink from his pop can.

"Now we need to talk about the bridge," Tandy said. "I think we could change some of the transitioning there."

"I can't believe we're doing Mary Had a Little Lamb," Mary Jane said, shaking her head. "Hell of a flagship piece."

"We still haven't worked our name out," Tandy said with a shrug. "We don't know what we'll be doing long term. This gives us something to practice in the meantime. I think it's cool," she grinned. "We can make Mary rock."

In the background, Peter was quietly tatta tapping on the drums, keeping time in an 11/16ths rhythm. Mary Jane looked over at him. He looked almost morose, hunched over the drums, absentmindedly keeping time with a beat only he could hear. She strolled over to him.

"Nice," she said, gesturing at the stuffed "Animal" Muppet doll that hung on the front of his drum set.

"Tyrone gave it to me," he nodded, his drumsticks held so loosely they seemed to be animate as he let them wander the drums.

Mary Jane glanced back to where Tandy and Tyrone were discussing different possible bridges between verses. She turned back to Peter. "You really shouldn't play when we're not playing," she said.

"Bah," Peter said.

"Look, Peter," she sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. I was worried, and you know why I get worried. Plus, that dinner was really important to me. When it turned out to be nothing," she shrugged. "I still don't know how to feel about that, Peter."

His drumstick tapping got so quiet that it was just a murmur in the background as his perfectly controlled pressure coaxed the strangest echoes from the drum. "I feel kind of disoriented," he said noncommittally. "I've been sleeping at night," he added, looking her in the eye. "Six hours. Sometimes more."

She blinked at that; the spider ghost generally wouldn't tolerate more than four hours. Then, as she looked into his eyes she saw the haunted uncertainty there. She realized he was well and truly spooked.

"Peter, what's going on," she breathed.

"We need to talk," he said. He looked away. "Later."

"You're on," she nodded.

Peter looked down the driveway, and his eyes widened. He stopped drumming, a smile flooding his face as he stood. Mary Jane whirled.

"Harry!" she said, delighted. She slung her guitar off and ran down the driveway.

Sleeker, stronger, leaner, Harry Osborn strolled up the drive. His hair was immaculately trimmed, he wore khakis and a turtleneck and a jacket. He smiled, looking every inch a full fledged adult. He opened his arms and gave Mary Jane a big hug as she ran to him.

Peter disentangled himself from the drum set and strolled down to meet them as Harry held Mary Jane at arm's length.

"Damn, you look fine," he said to her.

"I don't know what you've been doing, Harry, but you better keep doing it," Mary Jane said. "It's been good to you." She grinned.

"Peter," Harry nodded as Peter approached. He shook his hand. "Good to see you again."

"Been working out?" Peter grinned, trading grips with Harry.

"Yes," Harry said. "Tandy and Tyrone. I heard I could see all my favorite people at once if I came over here for your practice. Where's Gwen?"

"She's coming by later, she had to work," Tandy said as she reached the group. "So what have you been up to, President Osborn?"

"Got it in one," he said ruefully. "Running Osborn Incorporated has kept me busy and then some. I've been mixing business and pleasure, visiting all my company's sites and familiarizing myself with operations. I want to know the people that report to me, see them where they work so I can make the best decisions. And a little skiing," he said with a puckish grin, "some kickboxing, general workout stuff. Language studies. Yeah, I've been busy." He shook his head. "I heard this was a band," he said. "Play something for me and I'll buy pizza!"

"You are on, Daddy Warbucks," Mary Jane said, jogging back up to the garage. The band members settled themselves in as Harry leaned against the doorway to the garage.

"We only have one song we're working on so far," Tandy shrugged apologetically, "but we're just getting started."

"Got a band name?" Harry asked.

"Work in progress, and no that's not the name," Tandy said with a smile. "Okay people, from the top."

They launched into an only slightly drunken rendition of a jazzy 'Mary Had a Little Lamb,' and Harry shook his head and smiled. When they hit the end of the second verse they stopped with a flourish from the drums. Harry clapped, laughing.

"That was fantastic," he said. "Peter, you mind calling it in? Get whatever you guys want."

"Sure," Peter said, stepping out of the drums and going to the phone.

"MJ, a word?" Harry said. He stepped out of the garage, lighting a cigarette.

"I see you still smoke," she said, following him outside.

He shrugged. "Everybody dies sometime," he said. "Hey, I've had a lot of time to think."

"I thought you sounded pretty busy."

"I was. But when you're all alone, the nights can go on for a long, long time." Harry pulled on the cigarette, let the smoke breathe out his nose. "I've taken the time to get myself together, get my head on straight. I think…" He grinned, lopsided, looked over the yard. "I think we should give it another try, MJ. I really want you to give me another chance." He looked her in the eye. "I'm not proposing or anything. I just want to see if we could work together. Now that I went and grew up." He was unflinchingly serious.

"Harry," Mary Jane said earnestly, "I'm with Peter now. I can't just dump him."

Harry smiled to himself. "It's good to see you again," he said. He handed her a fifty. Glanced into the garage. "Bye everybody!" Harry said. "I'll see you around." He turned, and strolled towards his Jag parked at the bottom of the Bowen driveway.

Mary Jane watched him go, stunned.

Peter hung up the phone inside. "Okay guys," he said as he walked out to the rest of the band. "We gotta talk." He cleared his throat. Mary Jane, glancing distractedly down the driveway, returned to the garage.

"Wh-wh-wuts up?" Tyrone asked.

"This is really awkward," Peter said, rubbing his neck.

"You ordered anchovies," guessed Tandy.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Peter said. "I think… I think I need to tell you guys about myself."

"About w-w-walkin on w-walls?" Tyrone grinned. "Or sh-sh-shooting w-webs?"

Peter stared at him, startled.

Tandy couldn't help but grin. "That expression is priceless, Parker. Look. Mary Jane just filled in some of the blanks. It didn't come as a surprise. No normal mortal dances like you do."

Peter looked at Mary Jane, who looked a bit nervous. "Hey, you told me about their freakish powers, it seemed only fair."

Peter reflected on that, shrugged. "Point," he said. "So… yeah. Maybe our band name should be Circle of Freaks." He grinned.

"Hey, I don't have powers," Mary Jane protested.

"Yeah, but you're still a freak," Peter grinned. She pretended to scowl, and she flicked a pick at him. He caught it between two fingers, then stepped over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I think we're done for tonight," Tandy sighed. "I have some homework to get to. Hey, good practice. Mary Jane, you're really coming along."

"Tandy, you're just cool," Mary Jane said, glowing with the compliment.

"Will you take me home?" Peter asked Mary Jane.

"Oh, I suppose," she said. "See you peeps later." She swung her guitar into the case, shrugged her jacket on, grabbed her purse and her boyfriend, and left.

As they walked down the driveway, Peter cleared his throat. "Mary Jane, I need to ask you a favor."

"Yes?"

"Will you spend the night with me tonight?"

She looked over at him, startled. "What?"

"I don't want to cross any of our lines," Peter said, "but… will you? Look, we can talk about it tonight. I just… I would really like you to spend the night at my place."

She considered, looking at him. Then they reached her car.

"Sure, Peter," she said. "I'll spend the night at your place. My parents left this afternoon, so they don't mind. I'll bring my teddy bear, he can chaperone me." She grinned.

"Deal," Peter said, and they climbed into her car and drove away.

xXx

"Okay, hot shot," Mary Jane said to Peter as she sat on his bed, firmly clutching her teddy bear, "your therapist's meter is running, so let's do this."

He maneuvered into his bedroom. Both of them wore sweats, he had two mugs of steaming hot chocolate that he put on the night stand by the filmy abused alarm clock.

He sat on the bed, heaving a deep sigh. "Okay." He said. He looked at Mary Jane directly. "The spider ghost is scared."

She blinked. "Whoah," she said. "I thought he was like the sarcastic timex from hell. What spooked the spider ghost?"

"That's the thing," Peter said. "It's too spooked to tell me. So I try to grill my subconscious, and all I get is this intimidated silence. Last night? I was unconscious for ten hours. Ten hours. That just doesn't happen. No dreams. No subliminal feed. Just… nothing."

Mary Jane thought that over as she sipped her hot chocolate. "So when did this start?"

"When I went to join you and your parents for dinner. That was the only time it happened when I was awake. After that, Monday night and last night. And I can feel it building for tonight. This is… this is scary, MJ," he said in a subdued tone. "I wanted you to be here. To watch over me while I sleep."

"And here I thought you were seducing me," she said with a wry grin. "Trying to web me to the bed and make me your love slave."

"I swear, woman, you and your twisted fantasies," Peter grinned. But his heart wasn't in it. "You will stay with me tonight, won't you?" he asked in a small voice.

"I sure will, tiger," she said, ruffling his hair. "So why haven't you asked Strange about this? Could save me a night's sleep."

"He's not home," Peter said. "I called the office, and Doug doesn't know where he is. I can't find Illyana. Something is going on, but I don't know what. To have them missing is a bit unnerving all by itself. I'm just scared," he said hesitantly, "that something's gone haywire with my abilities. That I've had my day in the sun and I'm melting down or something. Some kind of magic cancer or… or… I don't even know what." He shook his head. "Thanks for being here. I can't tell you what it means to be able to talk to somebody about this."

She smiled at him with genuine warmth. "I'll tuck you in, ya big lug," she said.

Peter downed his hot chocolate, then put the mug aside and wriggled under his comforter. Mary Jane pulled the comforter up to his chin, ran her hand through his hair, and gently kissed him on the cheek. His head lolled to the side, and he settled into deep, unnatural breathing. He was totally unconscious.

"Peter?" she said uncertainly. No response.

Mary Jane bit her lip, looking at Peter uncertainly. Then she pulled up a chair, turned on the television, and settled in for her lonely vigil…