Just Gets Better and Better

Mary Jane tugged at her tight white shirt, wishing that she had picked a different one for the day. She slowly and drowsily moved through magazines at Al's Convenience Store. Nothing new, just the same old, probably made up, stories that people made up for cash. Mary Jane sighed, no doubt that if she wanted to be famous, she'd have to risk being targeted by tabloids. She came up to the New York Times and gasped at what she saw.

A picture of Spiderman, attacking the police with the title reading: Spiderman Attacks Police Force and Attempts Murder! The red head was so much in shock that she could've been slapped fifty times by the Hulk and she wouldn't have noticed.

"Excuse me sir, I'll take one of this," Mary Jane said, still in shock as she placed a newspaper on the counter. She moved her hand mechanically to her purse and pulled out her change and placed it on the counter. She then grabbed the newspaper as she heard the man at the counter muttering something in Spanish. She walked out the door, staring at the title as if it were the key to life.

"Watch where you're going bimbo!" a man said as Mary Jane bumped into him, not even bothering to look up and apologize. Mary Jane rounded the corner and came to her apartment steps.

In only a few minutes, Mary Jane was at her bed and still staring at the title, barely blinking.

At first, Mary Jane denied it: Peter would never do that. No matter how much she denied it, the picture showed everything: him attacking a police helicopter. No wonder he avoided the TV last night. The pain grew bigger every instant and soon, tears dropped onto the ink and paper of the newspaper. The liquid seeped down to several other pages.

Mary Jane moved swiftly read the article on page 3, skipping words and only looking at sentences that showed significance. As soon as she reached the end, she found her legs rushing to the door, her arms swinging the door wide open and her legs running to get to the elevator, all the while carrying the paper.

In a few short minutes, the elevator on the lobby floor slid open and Mary Jane rushed out, her short hair billowing behind her.

"Good day..." Ed, the doorman, said with a tip of his hat before Mary Jane ran out the door, "...Ms. Watson."

"Peter!" Mary Jane yelled as she came up the stairs of Peter's apartment floor. "Peter!" Mary Jane opened the door to Peter's small apartment to see her lover facing the balcony, looking at the buildings lit in the sunlight.

"Hey MJ," Peter said as he turned around to face his beloved.

"Don't give me that!" Mary Jane said fiercely. "What do you think you were doing!"

"What?"

"This!" Mary Jane said as she lifted her paper and pointed to the picture of Spiderman.

"Whe...wha..." Peter said as he backed away.

"Peter, how could you do this? I thought that you were...better..." Mary Jane said with much difficulty.

Peter snapped. "NO!" an unearthly voice screamed as Peter moved with swift speed, grabbing Mary Jane by the throat and pushing her against the wall. Peter had a horrible look on his face, fangs growing in his mouth.

"Peter..." Mary Jane whispered hoarsely as she tried prying off Peter's hand.

Peter held her there for a few seconds, before finally realizing what he was doing. Peter loosened his hand and let Mary Jane fall to the floor, crying. Peter backed away a few steps, looking at his hands in horror. The hands began to turn black, a white line moving down the middle of the backside.

"No..." Peter said in horror. His body began to ripple and turn black as Peter moved toward the balcony.

"Peter..." Mary Jane said in fear and concern as she approached her lover. Peter backed away as his body completely disappeared from view, leaving a black goo. "Peter!" The goo slithered away and off the balcony as Mary Jane ran toward it. Mary Jane looked over the balcony edge, tears flowing down her face.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Matt?" Elektra called as she entered her room in her estate, carrying several bags in her arms. "Matt, I brought some of your things. You there?" Elektra saw Matt sitting on her bed, looking blankly at the wall.

"Hi..." Matt said distantly.

"Something wrong?"

"No, no, just thinking."

"About what?"

"Just...how happy that you're alive," Matt said cheerily. Elektra smiled and went to put away her groceries. It was strange to lug around groceries but many of her servants retired because of her 'death.' What was really bothering her though, was Matt's dilemma, whatever it was.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"ARRRGHH!" Harry yelled in frustration as he threw a vase against the wall of his father's den. He watched with furious eyes as the vase shattered into small pieces, falling onto the beautiful, polished floor.

"Harry, get a hold of yourself," Harry's father's voice said. Harry looked at the life sized mirror, restored to hide the Goblin lair, to see his father looking back at him instead of his reflection.

"How the hell am I supposed to get a hold of myself if I'm talking to a ghost?" Harry spat back as he turned away and leaned against the wall.

"A ghost? I'm not a ghost Harry, merely a...guide."

"A guide to what? Madness?"

"No, to power Harry, to power. All you have to do is take the serum and..."

Harry silenced him. "No, I won't do it. I refuse to go mad like you! I can't give you revenge, I just can't betray Peter."

"You betray Peter? He betrayed you fool! He kept you in the dark for years!" Norman yelled as he walked up to the barrier of glass that kept the son and father apart.

"No...n...no..." Harry said in denial, his resistance faltering.

"Harry...you have to make a choice: Me, your father or Peter, your so called 'best friend'?" Yes, what to choose?

XXXXXXXXXX

Spiderman swung through the raining New York night, swinging on one of his glistering webs. He landed gently on the top of the science hall at New York University. He crawled down the side of the building and slowly entered the building through a window. He looked around for a bit and scanned everything in it. He saw several advanced microscopes among other things. He moved toward one but then he keeled over, feeling weak.

"What's wrong with me?" Spiderman asked himself as he looked at his hands, which began to fade to reveal his bare hands for just a second. He looked at his body and saw his costume fade away, revealing his original clothes underneath.

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice said as the lights turned on. Spiderman turned to see Dr. Connors approaching him cautiously.

"Dr. Connors..." Spiderman whispered weakly.

"Get out." Dr. Connors said warily. "Get out!"

"No, wait..." Spiderman said, slightly stronger.

"No...no..."

Spiderman had no other choice. He had to do what he had to do. He let his black mask slip away, revealing Peter Parker.

"Peter..." Dr. Connors said in awe, wonder and shock.

"Help..."