Savior of the Suburbs

The sun seemed to glare at him through the window of the hospital room. Mary Jane hadn't stepped in yet to collect him, and somehow, he was worried sick. The Raven could have been out there, holding her off of the side of a building, ready to let go. His dreams told him the same...

"Hey, Tiger." She glided through the doorway like the angel on a pedestal she was.

"Hey! Picking me up, are you?" The smile refused to leave his face. She bent down to kiss him and pulled him up onto his feet after.

"C'mon, Peter. Let's go home."

The ride home was very quiet, and Peter found himself falling into his thoughts. Something was resting in the back of his mind.

Don't get too comfortable, Parker. You never know who's lurking around the corner.

Norman Osborn. He would never die. To Peter, he was still alive.

I feel so terrible about your girl. Your future wife. I can hear her screaming now... As far as I'm concerned, she's already dead. I guess Harry chose the right business partner after all. Tell me, Pete: do you always trust your enemies like this, or is it just a phase?

What did he mean? Trust your enemies...

Well enjoy your perfect glass encasement of a life while it lasts. It will all come crashing down on you very soon. Goodbye, Parker.

Peter's arm twitched and his head snapped away from its last position. He was pulled from his daydreams... Were they only dreams? It had seemed so real...

"Hey Pete- don't fall asleep on me. What're you thinking about?"

"Oh..." He pieced together the information in his mind. Enemies... trust your enemies... Good morning... Good morning, darling. He heard it now, and it shocked him to the core. He'd heard the same voice that morning, when a blade threatened his life. It couldn't be... possible... I mean... Audrey Sterling– the Raven? But, the voice. Even the movements- so clean and graceful. The way she extended her hand to him... And Harry would never know. She had planned it so carefully... it was foolproof. As long as Audrey kept him happy with this new lifestyle, he wouldn't have a reason to question her. She was so beyond intelligent... Miles past the edge of insanity.

Oscorp wasn't the first thing on her mind. It was power; fame. She wanted free reign in the business world. She wanted money and front page pictures. She wanted Harry to do her dirty work. And who better for the job? As far as Harry knew, Spiderman killed his father, and he, Peter Parker, had lied. Lied about his identity, lied about his relationship with Mary Jane, lied about his father's death. Everything... a lie. It was so simple to corrupt him. And at the slightest hint of betrayal from Peter, Harry would cling to Audrey and carry out her every order. This beautifully simple plan of action... But how would Peter tell him?

That was the plan. Don't tell Harry. But what he didn't tell would be revealed sooner or later. On the other hand, if he even implied that Audrey was the Raven...

I guess Harry chose the right business partner after all.

"...nothing, MJ. Just about our wedding. What it's gonna be like. What date did we say again?"

"The twenty-first of May, remember?"

"Oh yeah, May."

"Hey... you have my cell, right, MJ?"

"Yep, right here. Who do you want to call?"

"Harry. I just want to see how he's doing, where he's going, all that."

Mary Jane smiled. "It's good that you two are talking again. But Pete... I have to know something after you call him."

"Okay..." He put his mouth close to the microphone and said, "Osborn, Harry." The phone repeated "Osborn, Harry," and dialed the phone number. Peter had forgotten to erase the entry marked 'Osborn, Norman'; and somehow he predicted he would never erase it.

"Hey, this is Harry Osborn. Leave a message after the..." There was a long beep. Peter pushed 'END' and set down his phone. After a long look from Mary Jane, he answered, "Must be busy."

"Pete," Mary Jane said, "didn't Audrey leave her number too?"

"Yeah..." Peter was reluctant to call the enemy on her cell phone, but then again... He dialed the number that had been written on a napkin in lipstick.

One ring... two... three......... six... Finally. She picked up. Peter felt tension building as he heard the voice breathe, "Hello, Parker- er, Peter! Hi... I have you in my phonebook."

"H-Hi Audrey." He swallowed hard. "Could you hold on a second?" He motioned to the car door and Mary Jane nodded. He stepped outside, making sure the car windows were closed. "All right Audrey. I know who you are, and I know what's going on."

"I'm a little busy, and I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Stop pretending, Audrey!" Peter could hear the rustle of blankets and a very confused Harry asking questions. He heard a door close, then, breathing...

"Listen, Spider-man. There is nothing you can do to interfere with this. Nothing. I have been planning this quick leap into power since before I even met Harry. It's just an added bonus I discovered along the way. If it hadn't been him, it would've been some other ignorant fool attracted to a pretty girl in a miniskirt. The best way to prolonge your life is to get out of my path. You know what happens when you get in my way now, don't you? Whether it's innocents, the ones you love, or even yourself, someone WILL pay. Oh, and by the way, you won't be able to reach Harry for a while. We're on the way to an important business meeting in Moscow."

"Russia?!"

"Goodbye, Parker."

Mary Jane opened the car door, walking into the house. Peter followed slowly, still stricken with fear. How could a hero fear? It was for MJ...

"Peter!" she cried. He ran into the house at due speed, stopping where she stood in the kitchen doorway. A long hooked dagger had been rammed through the center of the kitchen table, and the windows were open. "You have to tell me, Pete. You have to tell me everything."

"You won't believe me."

"I'll believe anything. Just tell me, Pete. Tell me what's going on."

He explained everything he had discovered in the past twenty-four hours in some detail, until finally he spoke his conclusion. "Mary Jane, she's the Raven. I called Audrey this morning. She's taking Harry to some kind of business meeting in Moscow."

"But... Audrey? Pete, are you sure–"

"MJ, she just threatened my life over the phone! Yeah, I'm pretty sure." His tone was extremely rigid and harsh.

"Alright, alright– I believe you, sorry..." She muttered to herself after speaking, trailing off in repeated apologies.

Peter stopped to rationalize. She wasn't the cause... Why was he angry with her? "I'm sorry MJ, but... I just don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. And you can't tell Harry."

"Don't tell Harry, got it." Mary Jane kissed him. "Please be careful, Pete. You don't know if this was her worst."

"I have a feeling it wasn't..." Peter had to call Harry. He had to. It was Harry's only chance of survival. He had to save him. Now. But wait... "Where's Aunt May?"

It was far too silent throughout for Aunt May to be home. Maybe she's taking a nap... Peter called to her. Nothing. Again. Still, nothing. Then it was Mary Jane's turn to yell. Yet again... nothing at all. Not a mutter, not a grunt, not the sound of light snoring Peter often heard from the room down the hall. He ran up the stairs, walking down the hall toward her bedroom. "Aunt May?"He now spoke quieter so he wouldn't scare her out of sleep. But what if she wasn't sleeping? No... she was. But... "Aunt May are you alright?" He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Suddenly he was blown back by his own terror.

There was a trail of disarray in the room from the doorway to his aunt. Broken desk drawers, papers, photos, anything she had thrown or latched onto in struggle. A few small splashes of blood decorated the photos in starkness. Aunt May's shoulder was pinned to the wall by a knife. No. It was yet another of Audrey's daggers. She had left a note, too. In blood, the Raven had written "Welcome home." So sadistic... it was Audrey. It had to be. May was unconscious, and obviously bleeding, with a look of fear still on her face. So pale...

Peter nearly collapsed, but forced himself to her side. "Aunt May!" Was she alive? What could he do?

"Peter... Peter please... Please help me." Aunt May wouldn't open her eyes, but she moaned in pain. Then, she gazed at the blood on her hands. "Oh I've killed it. Did I kill it, Peter?" She'd seen Audrey. It.

"No, no... But you're fine. I killed it. We'll call the ambulance, Aunt May. You'll be fine."

Hours and hours on end, Mary Jane and Peter waited in the visitors' center closest to the operating room. Mary Jane fell asleep on his shoulder, and the sound of her breathing was his only company. The assisting surgeon hadn't been out with news for quite some time, but Peter couldn't drift into sleep. His aunt was the only one left from his family. What would he do without her? How could he bear to see her die? He wouldn't...

But how had Audrey come and gone without Peter's knowledge? How could he have been so blind? That was her price. You know what happens when you get in my way now, don't you? He found her identity, and now, he would lose his aunt. No. He wouldn't give her up so easily. He would stop Audrey. Kill her if he had to. But what of Harry then? What would Harry think of the man who killed his father and his girlfriend? That would be the last thing Peter ever did. Harry could nearly defeat Audrey in a battle of insanity.

Finally, two minutes after eight, as black skies shaded the windows, the surgeon approached them. He was wearier, but no grief of death shone in his tired eyes. "She's doing much better than expected, Mr. Parker. We've been successful in stopping the internal bleeding, however, the nerves in the left arm, as you can see here..." He explained everything. But Peter couldn't hear. Blood was pounding in his ears. So much trauma at his expense... He would kill Audrey. As soon as the plane arrived in the airport, he would be there. He would kill her before she took her first step. This time it was more than personal. It was his duty as the savior of the suburbs. He would have to destroy the biggest threat in all of New York. And he'd have to suffer the wrath of Harry Osborn, losing his trust once again to the greater evil.

A/N: Happy New Year everybody! A little late, but everything's been so hectic lately... I'm sooo glad to see so much feedback from this story! ::sniffles:: You guys are the best. Here's the new chapter for all of you that contracted rabies waiting for it (and all of you that are doin' just fine, too ::sniggers::) Well, hope you liked it. More to come!