A/N: I wish I had an excuse for the long wait, but I don't. Unless you count extreme laziness on my part. Sorry.

Peter practically sleepwalked to Anna's apartment the next day, after spending half the night deciphering the stack of papers she had given him. He still did not understand three quarters of it, but felt as though he had at least tried to make sure his future was in good hands.

Thank God it's Saturday, he thought wearily as he trudged up the stairs. If he had had to go to class today, he probably would have fallen asleep in the middle of it. Now that would have been awkward.

Peter noticed a torn page of a tabloid on the floor and grimaced as he remembered the top story of the hour: Peter Parker aka Spiderman and his new 'girlfriend', Anna Luis.

Well, that's just dandy. I really enjoy having my personal life be the topic of gossip columns, he thought bitterly, and kicked the paper out of the way. Not only did the press have it all wrong – Anna was no more his 'girlfriend' than Doctor Octopus was – being related to him in any way could put Anna in a great deal of danger. And that was part of the reason why Peter was venturing out of bed so early on a Saturday morning: to warn her.

Suddenly, Peter's nose wrinkled at a foreign odor wafting down the stairs. Was it just him, or did he smell… smoke? His stomach gave a lurch as his spider sense screamed at him. He was too late.

"Oh shit!" he shouted. Taking the stairs two at a time, he burst onto Anna's floor and ran straight into a crowd of people headed back the way he came. Smoke filled the corridor, stinging Peter's eyes and bringing about a strong sense of déjà vu as he remembered the last time he had been in a burning building.

"Anna! Anna!"

There was no answer.

Pushing his way through the panicking crowd, Peter rushed to Anna's door. It stood wide open, flames licking the frame. He leaped over them and landed in Anna's living room.

"Anna! Where are you!"

His only reply was the crackling of the flames and the ominous creaking of the floor below him. Feeling sick, Peter raced through the rooms of the apartment, looking for any sign of the young woman. Finally, when he reached the kitchen, he found one.

The entire wall had been blown away. Half the microwave was gone, replaced by a fifty foot drop-off. Peter blanched.

Thanksgiving night… Aunt May saying her prayers… 'those eyes! Those horrible yellow eyes!'… the entire wall of her bedroom gone…

Peter crouched, and picked up a shard of metal lying next to a coffee mug. It was green. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Harry…"

Anna had never been so scared in all her life. She was being held in the arms of a maniac in a green suit, flying high over the city on a contraption that looked like it belonged on Star Trek. This was nothing like the ride Peter had given her. Anna had no doubt that if he wanted to, this creep would drop her without a second's hesitation.

She lay limply; still trying to process what was going on. She had just gotten up, and was fixing her morning cup of hot chocolate when the wall had exploded. Cruel laughter had filled the air, and Anna had looked up to see… the Jolly Green Giant's evil twin. Minus the leaves. She would have laughed if he hadn't looked so dead set on hurting her.

She had tried to run, to fight, to do anything. The only weapon readily available had been a small pot, but boy did she swing that thing hard. It hit the maniac on the side of his head, knocking a piece of his helmet off. But it hadn't even slowed him down. He had just wrenched the pot out of her hands, grabbed her, and swung off with her on his glider.

And so here she was, flying off to who knows where, to God knows what fate, with a guy who looked like he belonged on a bag of frozen peas.

Well, at least my life isn't boring.

If her memory served her correctly, her kidnapper was none other than the Green Goblin, one of Spiderman's first enemies. But Peter had told her that the Goblin was dead, killed instantly by his own glider! There were obviously some missing pieces in this puzzle.

The glider swerved around a tight corner, and Anna felt her body swaying dangerously. Fear constricted her throat. She finally realized just how ridiculous those movies were, with the damsels in distress screaming their heads off while being carried away by the villain. Anna couldn't even find the strength to squeak, let alone scream.

She shivered in her pajamas, the wind biting her exposed skin, and swallowed a terrified sob. This freak would never find out just how scared she was. A wet raindrop slapped against her face, startling her. She looked up, and saw dark rain clouds overhead, looking like they were seconds away from releasing a torrential downpour.

Well that's certainly fitting, she thought sarcastically.

His suit was soaked. Completely, absolutely, positively sopping wet. But Peter did not care.

He swung through the city at top speed, spider sense tingling, following the fading trail of exhaust left behind by the glider, and berated himself.

I should have gotten there faster. I should have called her the second I saw that stupid article. I shouldn't have gone to that frickin' park with her. I knew I was putting her in danger. Why? Why did I have to be such an idiot? Why did I have to get her mixed up in all this?

His thoughts went right out the window when he finally caught up with them. Anger clouded his vision as he saw the Goblin – Harry, he thought darkly – with a pale Anna held tightly in his arms. Peter's first instinct was to attack the drugged out son of a bitch, but the chance that Anna would be dropped and he wouldn't get to her in time was too great.

"Let her go, you bastard!" he screamed as he swung along beside them.

The Goblin cackled and shouted, "All in good time, my old friend! All in good time."

Harry was grinning behind his mask. Everything was going perfectly. Peter had quite a surprise waiting for him at their destination.

Norman Osborn had really had an ingenious plan for murdering Spiderman. Force him to make a choice, and then strike him while he was weak. The only problem with Norman's plot is that it hadn't been on a large enough scale.

And when Harry's glider swung around a corner, and the Empire State Building came into view, he began laughing uncontrollably.

This big enough for ya, Dad?

A/N: Okay, before you all start throwing tomatoes at me, let me just say that I will try my very hardest to get the next chapter up before long. Also, I will admit that the Green Goblin doesn't actually look anything like the Jolly Green Giant. I just thought it sounded funny.

Thanks to all my reviewers: htbthomas, Scary Vampiress, Owl, Melissa, closetfan, ilovethestorys, Goth Child of Zyon, deppfreak, Angela, hedi, Icy Waters, and jjonahjameson.

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