Chapter Six- An Almost Peaceful Interlude

Three weeks passed peacefully enough. Work was good, if not demanding, Jameson was a vulture as usual, and Peter and Madison's nights were spent refining the basic techniques of being a web-slinger. Madison still wasn't really getting the hang of it- her aim was horrendous- but things were progressing.

And so came a lovely Sunday morning at Peter's tiny, itty bitty little apartment in center city. Peter and Madison had just gotten through a night of intense training (Madison's aim was getting somewhat better), and Madison had crashed at his place, due to the fact that they had a column due by the next day and would be using the bulk of that Sunday working on it. Currently Madison was sitting cross-legged at Peter's coffee table in yesterday's clothes, with papers spread out around her and a cup of tea in her hand. Peter was in a small back room he had refurbished and now used for developing pictures. Everything was idyllic.

Then the doorbell rang.

The door to the darkroom cracked open and Peter appeared, a stack of photos in his hand.

"Did you just hear something?"

"Aren't you supposed to have super-hearing or something, Superhero?" Madison asked lazily from her spot on the rug. Glancing upward, she grinned as he crossed his arms irritably. "Yeah, the doorbell just rang."

He stared at her. It rang again.

"Aren't you going to answer that?"

Sighing grumpily, Peter padded to the doorway, yanked it open, and found . . .

Harry, with a stupid grin on his face.

Peter just stared. Finally he found his voice.

"Ummm, Hi Harry," he choked out. "What . . . what are you doing here?"

"Hi Pete, I just came over to catch up," he lowered his voice. "Actually, I wanted to ask your help with something."

"Sure Harry, what about?"

"Actually, it's about . . . " his face paled slightly as a second figure entered the room. "Madison."

Peter was surprised that he even remembered her name.

Madison raised an eyebrow. "Hi," she greeted, unsmiling. "You must be Harry."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

She gave him a 'are you slow?' look and then turned to Peter with a look to say 'and you're friends with him?' Out loud, she cracked a grin and said, "You do know Peter's a photographer, don't you? His whole apartment is plastered with photos. Most of his high school day-pictures are with you. You guys must have been best friends." She stressed the past tense slightly, indicating that she had noticed how they never communicated and how Peter never talked of him.

Harry blushed embarrassedly. "What are you doing here?" He glared at Peter out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, that," Madison pivoted to the fridge, dug around, and pulled out what appeared to be a month old, unpeeled carrot. "We have an article due tomorrow," she said between bites. "I just popped over here early to work on it." As proof she waved her hand to the slightly visible tip of the coffee table in the next room.

"Oh," he didn't look convinced. Actually, in Peter's point of view, he looked . . . mesmerized. "Peter, can I talk to you in the other room for a sec?"

"Sure," Peter turned to follow his friend, casting a backwards glance at Madison as he shrugged his shoulders.

Peter had just entered the room when Harry rounded on him. "Is there something going on between you two?" He hissed.

Peter made a face. "Madison? God no," he snuck a glance in the kitchen and watched her gnawing on that damn carrot, not a care in the world. "We can barely stand each other."

Harry looked relieved. "Oh, good."

Peter glanced at his friend, praying with all of his heart that Harry, his best friend, slightly off Harry, didn't have some sort of schoolboy crush on . . . he grimaced . . . Madison. Outwardly, he smiled and said, "Why, Harry?"

Harry looked embarrassed for one of the first times in his life. "Well, I was wondering . . . since you guys are partners and everything . . . "

'No! No!'

"If you could, you know," he grinned sheepishly. "Set us up."

Ok, that was the last straw. First she comes into this town, gets into his life, gets his powers, and now gets his best friend? Peter glowered.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I really am, " he turned to the door. "But I can't do that. You don't know Madison. You don't want to know Madison."

"Please Peter," he grabbed his friends arm, his expression desperate. "I know she's a little . . . uncouth, but," he shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Please. I . . . I know it sound's crazy, but . . . she's all I've been able to think about."

Peter groaned inwardly. He was just about to refuse a second time when a vision flashed through his head, memories of laying his best friend's father to rest. He owed Harry something. He guessed that this was it.

He HAD to get her on this date.

Peter smiled weakly. "Sure, Harry. I'm sure she'd love to."

xxxxxx


"Are you nuts?" Madison had her hands on her hips and was staring at Peter as if he had grown a second head. "That freak roped you into asking me out for him?" She rolled her eyes. "Get real."

"He's not a freak," Peter glowered. "He's my best friend."

"Mmmm hmmm," Madison chucked the remains of the carrot away and frowned in disapproval. "Well, I'm sorry Superhero, but there is no way in hell that I'm going on a date with your best friend. Besides," and here she cast a knowing glance in his direction, "isn't that one of those 'sacrifices' we as super people have to make? Never being able to fall in love?"

"No, not never being able to fall in love," Peter's expression was wistful. "Just never being able to do anything about it."

There was silence for a moment as Madison stared at him thoughtfully. Then she shrugged and turned away.

"I wonder when I'll get to meet her," Madison mused out loud.

"Who?"

"This girl that you're so in love with."

Peter was dumbfounded. Could every person in the world just read him like a book? Was he that obvious? He hadn't even seen M.J. in months. His mind veered away from that subject, it was too painful.

"It's harder than you think," Peter whispered harshly, the memory of his rejection of M.J. fresh in his mind. "Never falling in love. Never having anyone to care about. I don't think even you could do it."

Madison turned to the wall, her back rigid. "You don't have to worry about me. This power, this life, this is my destiny." Her face grew stony. "I can swear to you now that I will I will never fall in love."

Peter stared at her. "You know the scary thing Madison?" he asked as he turned to leave the room. "I actually believe you."

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