Chapter 10

Mary Jane was stunned at Peter's revelation. All she could do was shake her head, sit down, and compose herself.

Elektra didn't know what to make of the situation either. She could only assume that Mary Jane knew this Harry Osborn character.

"Mary Jane, are you okay?" Elektra asked anxiously.

"Not really," Mary Jane responded. "I can't believe that Harry, of all people, would want to kill Peter. I just don't understand it."

"So, I take it that you know the guy."

"Yes, Peter and I both know Harry really well." Mary Jane paused, glancing over at the man she loves. "I think that we should tend to Peter and see how badly he's hurt."

Mary Jane had to go over to Peter's apartment and get a few of his things. Fortunately, they had given each other spare keys to their respective apartments in case of emergencies like the situation they were in. Elektra stayed behind so that Peter would not be left alone.

Mary Jane was back in twenty minutes. She retrieved her first aid kit, and with Elektra's help, cleaned up his face, getting rid of the dried blood around his mouth and nose. As MJ gently rubbed the antiseptic towlette over his bruises, he began to stir.

"You know that tickles and hurts," Peter said as he regained consciousness.

"Welcome back, Peter," Elektra said, amazed at Peter's rapid recovery.

"Hello there, Tiger," Mary Jane said softly as she finished cleaning Peter's face. "You gave us quite a start when you blacked out. How do you feel?"

"I feel like I went a few rounds with some ninjas," Peter answered with a slight chuckle. "All kidding aside, I ache in places where I thought I couldn't ache in and I feel like one giant bruise."

"Well, your face sure looks like one," Mary Jane giggled. "How's your eye?"

"I can open it a little bit. By morning it should be fine. Could you ladies help me take off the top of my costume so I can tell what else is hurting?" He asked, a flirtatious gleam in his eye.

Mary Jane and Elektra were happy to oblige. They helped Peter into a sitting position, much to his discomfort, and helped him take off his top. To his dismay, Peter's earlier assessment had been right. He did look like one giant bruise. Peter was black and blue all across his chest, back and stomach.

"How's your breathing, Peter?" Elektra asked.

Knowing what Elektra meant by that question, Peter then took a deep breath and let it out with a little wince showing on his face.

"Not bad," Peter answered. "I don't think my ribs are broken if that's what you were getting at. But to be on the safe side, I think we should wrap them up in case they're bruised, which I suspect they might be."

Mary Jane nodded her head in agreement. But she still had concerns. "I suggest that you still see a doctor in the morning to take a look at those ribs, just to be on the safe side.

"You know she's right, Peter," Elektra said. "Seeing a doctor isn't a bad idea."

"Don't I have any say in the matter?" Peter asked in mock indignation. But all he got for his assertiveness were stern looks from both ladies. "I actually agree that I need to see a doctor. Do you have anyone in mind? I can't just see anyone, you know."

"Don't worry Peter. I know someone who can take a look at you with no questions asked," Elektra replied.

"Do I want to know who this doctor is?" Peter asked.

"The doctor is someone that I know who has helped me out after some of my tougher jobs. He's totally reliable."

"Well then, I really shouldn't complain. How do I go about seeing this doctor?"

"Leave that to me," Elektra told him firmly.

"Now with that being settled, I think we should let Peter rest and go over everything we need to do tomorrow the morning," Mary Jane said.

Peter started to get up from the couch when Mary Jane put her hand on his chest and forced him back down.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" Mary Jane asked Peter giving him a very stern glare.

"I was just going to go back to my apartment to rest up," Peter replied a little sheepishly.

"I don't think so, Tiger. You are going to stay right there and rest. I've got some things for you to change into because you're in no shape to be moving around. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

Mary Jane tossed Peter some clothes for him to change into while Elektra snickered at their recent verbal exchange.

"Could I have a little privacy, ladies?" Peter asked.

"Sure," Mary Jane and Elektra said together while making their way out of the living room so that Peter could change.

It didn't take Peter long to change and call the girls back in. With Peter all settled in for the night, Elektra bid them good evening and told them that she would be back in the morning.

Before going to her bedroom, Mary Jane made sure that Peter was settled in. She gave him a kiss on the top of his head and lovingly whispered, "Good night, Tiger."

After Mary Jane left, Peter tried to fall asleep but it wasn't easy. All he could think about was Harry. He couldn't believe that his best friend would want him dead. Actually, Peter had a good idea why, and still hoped that he could tell Harry the truth about what really happened with his father. Peter finally fell asleep still wondering what to do next.

Peter woke up the next day feeling better than he had the night before. He went straight to the bathroom to see how he looked. Not surprisingly, all of his aches and bruises were gone. But he still felt a little stiff from sleeping on Mary Jane's couch.

As Peter walked out of the bathroom, he collided with Mary Jane knocking them both to the floor.

"I'm sorry, MJ. Are you okay?" Peter asked anxiously as he helped Mary Jane up. "I should have paid a little more attention to my spider sense."

"I'm fine Peter, really," she replied, giving him the once over. "You look a whole lot better too, Tiger."

Peter noticing Mary Jane taking a look at him said, "I hope I meet with your approval."

"You most certainly do, kind sir," Mary Jane said in her Cecily accent as she gave Peter a nice, warm hug.

Instead of breaking the hug, Peter leaned down and gave Mary Jane a very passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Mary Jane asked.

"For helping me last night, cleaning and patching me up and being the greatest girlfriend on the face of the earth," Peter replied.

"You're very welcome, Tiger. I just hope that you don't make a habit of getting hurt."

"You and me both, MJ. I'll let you continue with what you have to do and if you don't mind, I'll make us breakfast."

"Knock yourself out," she said softly, flashing her million-dollar smile.

Peter headed into Mary Jane's kitchen to see what she had. It didn't take Peter long to decide what would be on the menu.

By the time Mary Jane came into the kitchen to check up on Peter, she was amazed at what she saw. The table was set with plates for the two of them along with some toast and bacon. Peter was just turning around with a frying pan full of scrambled eggs when he noticed Mary Jane.

"Take a seat and I'll be with you in a second," Peter said as he served up the scramble eggs.

"It looks and smells wonderful, Tiger," Mary Jane said.

"Thanks, MJ. Let's dig in."

They ate in silence enjoying each other's company. When they were finished, Peter gathered the plates and silverware.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mary Jane asked wryly.

"Since we're finished, I thought that I would do the dishes," replied Peter.

"I don't think so, Pete. Since you fixed a wonderful breakfast, I think it's only fair that I do the dishes."

"Do you mind a little help then?"

"I'd gladly accept your help."

They immediately started a production line, with Mary Jane washing and Peter drying. They had almost finished when the doorbell rang.

"Do you mind getting that, Peter?" Mary Jane asked.

"Sure, MJ," Peter replied as he handed her his dishtowel and went to answer the door.

Peter wasn't surprised to find out who was waiting on the other side of the door.

"Good morning, Peter," Elektra said. "You look a lot better since last saw you."

"Good morning to you too, Elektra, " Peter replied warmly. "I do feel better. I just feel a little stiff. I'll get my ribs looked at as soon as I can get an appointment."

Peter led Elektra into the kitchen where Mary Jane was finishing the dishes. When Mary Jane finished, she joined the others around the table to discuss the situation involving Harry. They told Elektra about their relationships with Harry, that Peter and Harry had been close friends throughout high school, and that Mary Jane had dated him after graduation.

"Why did you break up?" Elektra inquired, trying to piece together the mysterious, complex puzzle that was Harry Osborn.

"Well, to be honest," Mary Jane responded, "At first our relationship was great. He bought me things, took me out to dinner at fancy restaurants, and all that. But after I while, I began to realize that I didn't really have the feelings for him that a girlfriend should have." She gave Peter a quick glance and a smile.

"I can certainly understand that," Elektra said sympathetically. "Was there anything else? Anything he might have said or done."

Mary Jane thought for a moment. "No, not Harry. His father. I really didn't care too much for Harry's father."

"And why is that?" Elektra wanted to know.

It was Peter who answered. "Harry's dad was Norman Osborn. He was the head of Oscorp."

"What do you mean by 'was'? Is Harry's father dead?"

"Yes, he died a couple of years ago," Mary Jane interjected.

"How?"

"Before I answer that question I have to ask you one first," Peter began, "Have you heard of the Green Goblin?"

"Yeah, I've heard of him. You fought that guy right?"

At that question Peter just nodded his head.

Elektra then asked another question, "Were the Goblin and Osborn connected?"

"They were connected alright," Peter answered emphatically, "Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin.In our last fight, the Goblin revealed his identity to me, which shocked me. He was talking to me like Norman would, not the Goblin. When he asked me to be a son to him like he was a father to me, I told him that I already had a father and that was my uncle Ben. Then his expression changed suddenly and he was the Goblin again. Somehow, he had his glider on remote control and sent it at me from behind. Little did he know that my spider sense warned me about it and I jumped out of the way of the glider. By the time I got out of the way, Norman didn't have a chance and he was impaled by it. Before he died, Norman asked me to not tell Harry and I've kept my word ever since. Later that night, I brought Norman's body to his mansion when Harry saw me with his dad. He thought I did something to him and before Harry could do anything to me I left. Because of that, Harry has had a vendetta against Spider-Man ever since."

"Does Harry know about this?" Elektra asked, stunned.

"As far as I'm aware, we three in this room are the only ones who know. I should also warn you. Harry knows that I am Spider-Man, too."

"How did that happen?"

"Remember the Doc Ock incident?" Peter asked as Elektra nodded. Peter continued, "Harry made a some kind of deal with Ock to bring Spider-Man to him. Ock had me tied up in barbed wire and presented me to Harry. I was partially aware of what was going on because Ock and I had a good old fight before he brought me to Harry. After Ock got what he wanted, Harry was about to kill me when he took my mask off."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Peter," Elektra said amazed at what she just learned.

"Don't be. I just hope that one day Harry and I will be able to talk this out. Until then, I think we should focus on dealing with those guys from the Hand."

Mary Jane and Elektra nodded in agreement. Then Elektra told Peter what she knew about the Hand, particularly Matsuo and Takashi. What amazed Peter the most was finding out that Takashi was a shape shifter.

"I've seen and heard some strange things in my life but that really is strange," Peter said. "That's one guy that may be a problem but one I think we can handle"

"I agree and I have the utmost faith in the both of you to handle this predicament," Mary said to both Peter and Elektra.

"It looks like we've got everything covered. We'll just have to figure out how we'll deal with the Hand," Peter said.

"But first, we should get you to see that doctor, Peter, to make sure your ribs are okay," Mary Jane told him.

"You got it, MJ," Peter replied.

Peter showered and changed at Mary Jane's apartment. Giving Mary Jane a kiss good bye, Peter went with Elektra to see a doctor about his ribs.

It didn't take Elektra long to get Peter to the doctor she told him about.

"I didn't know that I lived this close to a doctor," Peter said to Elektra.

"Well, Peter, I don't think that a lot of people know that a doctor lives here," Elektra said.

"That's interesting. How do you know him?" Peter asked.

"He's an old friend of my family's. I've known Dr. Hudson since I was a young girl. When I started out as an assassin and got hurt on one of my earlier assignments, I went to him. He patched me and asked how I got the way I was."

"Did you tell him?"

"At first I didn't want to but he kept at me until I did. He wasn't very happy with what I was doing but he didn't turn me away. I told him why I do what I do but he still didn't approve of it. But he told me that he would be there for me whenever I needed him."

"That's great, Elektra. Like Dr. Hudson, I don't like your chosen profession either. And like him, I'll be here if you ever need me. That goes for Mary Jane, too."

"Thank you, Peter. That really means a lot to me," Elektra replied as she rang the doorbell to Dr. Hudson's place.

It wasn't long for Dr. Hudson to answer the door, "Hello, what can I do for you?"

Elektra was the one to answer, "It's Elektra Natchios, Dr. Hudson."

"Elektra, it's wonderful to see you again. How are you, my dear?"

"I'm pretty good, Dr. Hudson. I have someone with me who needs your services," Elektra said and then she brought Peter out from behind her. "This is Peter Parker, Dr. Hudson."

"Hello, Mr. Parker," Dr. Hudson greeted him. "How can I help you?"

"Elektra said that you could take a look at my ribs to see if I hurt them. I got jumped by a few guys the other night and barely managed to get away from them. I was able to make it to my girlfriend's place where both her and Elektra cleaned me up and took care of me. Last night I was pretty sore but today I don't feel as bad. We all thought that I should be looked at just to be safe," Peter said to the good doctor.

"You're right about that. Well, let's get you inside to take a look at those ribs of yours," Dr. Hudson said as he led both Elektra and Peter into his office.

They went to an examination room so that Dr. Hudson could examine Peter. He told Peter to remove his shirt so he could take a look at his ribs. At first sight, Dr. Hudson couldn't find anything wrong. Next, he told Peter to take a few deep breaths and asked Peter if he felt any pain. Peter did as he was told and said that he didn't feel any pain or discomfort, which the doctor thought was a good sign. After taking X-rays, he told Peter to get dressed and wait for the results. "Yes, sir." Peter said as he put his shirt back on and returned to the waiting room.

"How did everything go, Peter?" Elektra asked.

"I think everything went just fine. I don't feel any pain like I did last night and now we'll just have to wait to see what the X-rays say to be sure," Peter answered her.

"It shouldn't be too long of wait, Peter. I do have one question for you though. After how you looked last night, how could you look back to normal so fast?"

"Ever since I got my spider powers, I've been able to heal at a faster rate than an average person could. In my line of work that comes in handy."

About a half hour later, Dr. Hudson came out to them to tell them what he found.

"Well, Peter, I didn't find anything wrong with your ribs. I couldn't find anything broken and your ribs don't appear to be bruised," Dr. Hudson said to Peter.

"Thank you very much, Dr. Hudson," Peter replied.

"You're very welcome. Can I ask you something?" Dr. Hudson said as he motioned Peter away from Elektra to talk privately. After Peter gave him a nod to ask his question, the doctor asked, "Does Elektra still have that job of hers?"

"Yes she does. That's actually how we met," Peter answered.

"Maybe you can try to talk her out of it. I've been trying for years now without success."

"I'll give it a try, Doc, but I can't promise you anything."

"That's all I can ask. Take care of yourself, Peter and comeback anytime," Dr. Hudson said as he extended his hand to Peter.

Peter shook Dr. Hudson's hand and said, "You can count on it, Dr. Hudson and thanks again."

"It was nice to see you too, Elektra."

"Likewise, Dr. Hudson. Take care and I'll see you later," responded Elektra.

They left Dr. Hudson's and headed back to Peter's place. When they were about half way there, Elektra asked, "Peter, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure, whatever you need," Peter answered.

"I want to return the fee that Harry paid me to kill you."

"WHAT? WHY?" Peter asked very loudly, stunned at what Elektra just told him.

"One reason is that I didn't complete the assignment, which I'm eternally grateful for because I would've robbed this city of a great hero."

Peter interrupted Elektra saying, "Thank you."

Then Elektra continued, "Secondly I don't want to keep it to remind me about what I could've done."

"What do you have in mind?" Peter asked.

Elektra told Peter what she had in mind and agreed to go along with it. After getting what they needed from his place and hers, they began to plan Elektra's visit with Harry.

Harry Osborn was busy at home doing some work for Oscorp. He hardly did any work at Oscorp preferring to work amidst the creature comforts of his luxury penthouseinstead.On rare occasions when his presence was required, typically Board meetings, he would travel by limousine to the company's headquarters on Long Island. While going over some paperwork, he heard a knock on his study door.

"Who is it?" Harry asked.

His family's faithful servant Barnard entered the study.

"Pardon me, sir, there is a young lady here who requests to see you," Barnard said.

"Tell her I'm too busy to see anyone at the moment."

"I already told her that, sir. She then said it has to do with a 'spider' problem that you have."

Hearing the word 'spider' changed Harry's mind immediately. "Send her in."

It didn't take long for Barnard to lead the young lady into the study. He ushered the woman inside the study and closed the door behind him as he left Harry and her to talk privately.

"Hello, Miss Natchios. I was wondering if I would ever meet you in person," Harry said.

"Mr. Osborn," Elektra greeted him courteously.

"Your reputation precedes you since I left you no idea on how could find me. What can I do for you?"

Elektra then produced a briefcase and set it down on Harry's desk.

"What is this?" Harry asked.

Elektra opened it and said, "I'm returning the fee you paid me to kill Spider-Man because I no longer feel the need to do so."

"Why?"

"That is none of your business and I hope our paths don't cross again because if they do, I think you have a pretty good idea what would happen," Elektra told him ominously and then she turned around and left the study.

"Dammit! Now what am I going to do now?" Harry said to himself.

'That's easy, son,' the spirit of Norman Osborn said to Harry. 'Take care of him yourself.'

"No, I can't do that. Peter's my friend."

'No he's not, you simpering whelp. He killed me and stole your girl. Remember you must avenge me, my son.'

"Just get the hell out of my head and let me think."

Harry was so intent on his conversation with his father's ghost that he did not see the two people who happened to walk in to his study.

"Who are you two and what do you want?" Harry demanded. He also wondered how these two men got past his faithful servant Bernard but if that could mean that they are really good at what they do.

"It seems that we have a mutual problem that my partner and I could solve for all of us," one of the men told Harry.

"Okay, I'm listening."

AN: There you have it, another chapter has come to an end. It now appears that Harry has some volunteers to take care of Spider-Man/Peter for him. Things are starting to heat up so you have to come back for the next chapter to see what happens next. I would like to thank the following for their wonderful reviews: Jenn1, Ratdogtwo, FireFairy032003, Georgia Kennedy, closetfan, SpartanCommander, Laser Crusader. It's that time for you to give me a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter.