Chapter 13: Strange happenstance
Madison plummeted to the ground like a bullet from the very very very high building. And, strange for someone who had never done this naturally in her entire life, she passed out cold halfway there.
For a second after she was dropped the Red Death just stood there, staring at Spiderman. "Bastard," he muttered suddenly, flipping onto the glider and speeding off of the very very very tall building, headed toward the ground, after Madison. Relief flooded Spiderman as he thankfully took the welcome distraction and left the scene, already planning for future encounters.
Madison was caught mere feet from the pavement, her body hovering for a moment before being whisked into the air again, head lolling to the side as she subconsciously struggled to regain consciousness. Slowly she was carried over buildings, past center city to a sprawling rooftop garden. He placed her down on a bench, turning to stare at her prone body for a moment, before rising into the air again and speeding away. She would regain motory functions soon- she was safe for now. But it was a huge mistake to use her, a mistake born out of panic. All he had succeeded in today was showing more weakness. He had to fix this.
Slowly he breathed a sigh of relief under his mask. At least Madison was ok.
xxxxxx
Ten minutes later a barely conscious was finally discovered, her eyes open and staring flintily at the gray sky. A steady stream of mumbled words flowed from her still partly paralyzed mouth, and though Spiderman couldn't catch all of them, he caught a startling repetition of phrases like "two-by-four", "maul," "thumbscrews," "torture," and something about " . . . going to die."
He smiled briefly under his mask. At least Madison was ok.
He perched next to her, face looming over hers as he peered worriedly into her eyes. "Are you alright?"
She growled at him.
He tried another tactic. "Can you move yet?"
"If I could," she said slowing, trying to work frozen lips. "You would already be dead."
He coughed slightly. "Yeah, that, Mad, I'm really . . . "
"Don't want to talk about it," she wheezed. "Just get me out of here."
He paused for a second, and she hissed in a feral manner. "Now."
Sighing, he lifted her into his arms, and grinned at her from under the mask. "Now look at this," he said, trying to make light of the situation. "A real damsel in distress."
"Die," was her embittered answer.
"Preferably not with you in my arms," he mocked her quietly. She closed her eyes, face impassive.
"Go to Hell." His heart dropped as he pushed off of the building ledge and swung home, wondering if their sad, strange little half friendship was still salvageable.
The silence was deafening, and it was immense relief that Peter's apartment came into view five minutes later. Slipping in the window, he pulled off his mask and deposited Madison on his couch. She glared at him some more.
"I meant my home."
"I thought you said we needed to talk," he answered calmly, perching himself at the edge of the couch. "I need to explain some things to you."
And she exploded, her yells convincing Peter that her face and mouth must be working just fine now.
"Explain? EXPLAIN??? You set me up with a PSYCHO! A PSYCHO! You knew all along this person we were supposedly fighting together against was the same person you decided to SET ME UP WITH! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???"
He held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. For one thing, I did not know about Harry when you, uh, got together . . . "
"YOU SET US UP, ASSHOLE!"
"Yeah, that . . . I'm sorry, I didn't know at the time. I only just figured it out myself," he said, deciding not to mention his suspicions that had been accumulating for a while now. She scowled at him.
"You dropped me off of a building. A very tall building. You let me get into a situation where I was PARALYZED AND DROPPED OFF OF A BUILDING! A BUILDING!!!"
"Madison . . . "
"A BUILDING!"
"Mad, I'm sorry, but you've got to understand," he took a deep breath. "I know this guy, ok? I've known him forever. And even if I didn't, any idiot can see he's obsessed with you. He wouldn't let you get hurt."
"That still doesn't explain why you dropped me off of a BUILDING!"
"Look, he's been getting stronger. I don't know how, but I've realized that I couldn't beat him by myself. I needed to get away until I could find a way to stop him. I needed a distraction."
This time her voice was deathly quiet. "So you dropped me off of a building."
"Yes, I dropped you off of a building, but I wasn't going to let you get hurt. If he hadn't saved you, I would have."
She pouted for a moment before turning away. "I hate you," she muttered.
He smiled. "That makes two of us."
Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be about to fall asleep, so he stood and tiptoed into his room to change.
Halfway through changing, Peter wondered at her lack of motory functions. She didn't seem to have regained them yet, but her face was suddenly working fine, and didn't she lift herself up to a near sitting position when yelling?
"Oh shit," Red and blue shirt tucked under his arm, he bolted into the adjoining room. "Madison . . . "
The empty adjoining room.
The window was wide open.
And Madison was gone.
"Nooo," Peter banged his head against the wall for a moment, then paused. "You idiot!" he muttered to himself. "She's going after Harry!"
Tugging his shirt back on he leapt out the window, maskless, and sprinted after the retreating figure in the darkness. Flying faster than he ever had before, he caught view of her not far ahead.
He caught up with her only a few rooftops over, her attempted haste apparently only slowing her down. Flipping over her head, he landed in front of her black clad figure, scowling deeply.
"Where the HELL do you think you're going?" he spat. She regarded him for a moment.
"Out for a midnight stroll," she sang.
"Madison," he warned.
Unexpectedly she ripped off her mask, glaring at him. "Ok I'm going to kick that little pervert's ass, happy now?"
"I'm not going to let you do that."
"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot, you must be in league with him, only you're worse, 'cause he only knocked me out and you DROPPED ME OFF OF A BUILDING."
"I thought we already had this conversation. If you go after him alone you could be killed- don't forget that he doesn't know that you're Black Widow. Besides, he's my friend and I don't think he's really a bad person."
"Damnit Peter, people have DIED."
"Ok then, can't I at least believe that he can be saved?"
"Screw this," Madison moved to push past him.
What happened next not even Peter is sure of, how it happened, but he blames it vehemently on being around Madison's "out of the box" personality so long that it rubbed off on him. Either way, in a desperate attempt to get Madison back to the apartment and away from danger, he did what the pre- Madisonized Peter Parker would have never dreamed of doing.
He grabbed her shoulders, swung her around, and kissed her.
Madison's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates from complete and utter shock. Somehow, in a barely remembered, inhuman effort, he swung her frozen body into his arms and remarkably made it back to the apartment. For her part, Madison didn't even seem to be aware of what he was doing.
At least until they were in his room and he broke the kiss, stared at her, and then scooted out the door and locked it behind him.
It was a good 10 seconds before she truly realized what had transpired. And then . . .
"You bastard!" She was pounding on the door. "YOU TRICKED ME! WHAT THE HELL??? I HATE YOU! YOU TRICKED ME!"
Sighing, she leaned against the door, resigned, and briefly ran a finger over her lips. What had just happened between them?
xxxxx
Oh my wee little ducks, won't you review for me?
Madison plummeted to the ground like a bullet from the very very very high building. And, strange for someone who had never done this naturally in her entire life, she passed out cold halfway there.
For a second after she was dropped the Red Death just stood there, staring at Spiderman. "Bastard," he muttered suddenly, flipping onto the glider and speeding off of the very very very tall building, headed toward the ground, after Madison. Relief flooded Spiderman as he thankfully took the welcome distraction and left the scene, already planning for future encounters.
Madison was caught mere feet from the pavement, her body hovering for a moment before being whisked into the air again, head lolling to the side as she subconsciously struggled to regain consciousness. Slowly she was carried over buildings, past center city to a sprawling rooftop garden. He placed her down on a bench, turning to stare at her prone body for a moment, before rising into the air again and speeding away. She would regain motory functions soon- she was safe for now. But it was a huge mistake to use her, a mistake born out of panic. All he had succeeded in today was showing more weakness. He had to fix this.
Slowly he breathed a sigh of relief under his mask. At least Madison was ok.
xxxxxx
Ten minutes later a barely conscious was finally discovered, her eyes open and staring flintily at the gray sky. A steady stream of mumbled words flowed from her still partly paralyzed mouth, and though Spiderman couldn't catch all of them, he caught a startling repetition of phrases like "two-by-four", "maul," "thumbscrews," "torture," and something about " . . . going to die."
He smiled briefly under his mask. At least Madison was ok.
He perched next to her, face looming over hers as he peered worriedly into her eyes. "Are you alright?"
She growled at him.
He tried another tactic. "Can you move yet?"
"If I could," she said slowing, trying to work frozen lips. "You would already be dead."
He coughed slightly. "Yeah, that, Mad, I'm really . . . "
"Don't want to talk about it," she wheezed. "Just get me out of here."
He paused for a second, and she hissed in a feral manner. "Now."
Sighing, he lifted her into his arms, and grinned at her from under the mask. "Now look at this," he said, trying to make light of the situation. "A real damsel in distress."
"Die," was her embittered answer.
"Preferably not with you in my arms," he mocked her quietly. She closed her eyes, face impassive.
"Go to Hell." His heart dropped as he pushed off of the building ledge and swung home, wondering if their sad, strange little half friendship was still salvageable.
The silence was deafening, and it was immense relief that Peter's apartment came into view five minutes later. Slipping in the window, he pulled off his mask and deposited Madison on his couch. She glared at him some more.
"I meant my home."
"I thought you said we needed to talk," he answered calmly, perching himself at the edge of the couch. "I need to explain some things to you."
And she exploded, her yells convincing Peter that her face and mouth must be working just fine now.
"Explain? EXPLAIN??? You set me up with a PSYCHO! A PSYCHO! You knew all along this person we were supposedly fighting together against was the same person you decided to SET ME UP WITH! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???"
He held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. For one thing, I did not know about Harry when you, uh, got together . . . "
"YOU SET US UP, ASSHOLE!"
"Yeah, that . . . I'm sorry, I didn't know at the time. I only just figured it out myself," he said, deciding not to mention his suspicions that had been accumulating for a while now. She scowled at him.
"You dropped me off of a building. A very tall building. You let me get into a situation where I was PARALYZED AND DROPPED OFF OF A BUILDING! A BUILDING!!!"
"Madison . . . "
"A BUILDING!"
"Mad, I'm sorry, but you've got to understand," he took a deep breath. "I know this guy, ok? I've known him forever. And even if I didn't, any idiot can see he's obsessed with you. He wouldn't let you get hurt."
"That still doesn't explain why you dropped me off of a BUILDING!"
"Look, he's been getting stronger. I don't know how, but I've realized that I couldn't beat him by myself. I needed to get away until I could find a way to stop him. I needed a distraction."
This time her voice was deathly quiet. "So you dropped me off of a building."
"Yes, I dropped you off of a building, but I wasn't going to let you get hurt. If he hadn't saved you, I would have."
She pouted for a moment before turning away. "I hate you," she muttered.
He smiled. "That makes two of us."
Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be about to fall asleep, so he stood and tiptoed into his room to change.
Halfway through changing, Peter wondered at her lack of motory functions. She didn't seem to have regained them yet, but her face was suddenly working fine, and didn't she lift herself up to a near sitting position when yelling?
"Oh shit," Red and blue shirt tucked under his arm, he bolted into the adjoining room. "Madison . . . "
The empty adjoining room.
The window was wide open.
And Madison was gone.
"Nooo," Peter banged his head against the wall for a moment, then paused. "You idiot!" he muttered to himself. "She's going after Harry!"
Tugging his shirt back on he leapt out the window, maskless, and sprinted after the retreating figure in the darkness. Flying faster than he ever had before, he caught view of her not far ahead.
He caught up with her only a few rooftops over, her attempted haste apparently only slowing her down. Flipping over her head, he landed in front of her black clad figure, scowling deeply.
"Where the HELL do you think you're going?" he spat. She regarded him for a moment.
"Out for a midnight stroll," she sang.
"Madison," he warned.
Unexpectedly she ripped off her mask, glaring at him. "Ok I'm going to kick that little pervert's ass, happy now?"
"I'm not going to let you do that."
"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot, you must be in league with him, only you're worse, 'cause he only knocked me out and you DROPPED ME OFF OF A BUILDING."
"I thought we already had this conversation. If you go after him alone you could be killed- don't forget that he doesn't know that you're Black Widow. Besides, he's my friend and I don't think he's really a bad person."
"Damnit Peter, people have DIED."
"Ok then, can't I at least believe that he can be saved?"
"Screw this," Madison moved to push past him.
What happened next not even Peter is sure of, how it happened, but he blames it vehemently on being around Madison's "out of the box" personality so long that it rubbed off on him. Either way, in a desperate attempt to get Madison back to the apartment and away from danger, he did what the pre- Madisonized Peter Parker would have never dreamed of doing.
He grabbed her shoulders, swung her around, and kissed her.
Madison's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates from complete and utter shock. Somehow, in a barely remembered, inhuman effort, he swung her frozen body into his arms and remarkably made it back to the apartment. For her part, Madison didn't even seem to be aware of what he was doing.
At least until they were in his room and he broke the kiss, stared at her, and then scooted out the door and locked it behind him.
It was a good 10 seconds before she truly realized what had transpired. And then . . .
"You bastard!" She was pounding on the door. "YOU TRICKED ME! WHAT THE HELL??? I HATE YOU! YOU TRICKED ME!"
Sighing, she leaned against the door, resigned, and briefly ran a finger over her lips. What had just happened between them?
xxxxx
Oh my wee little ducks, won't you review for me?