Chapter 3

"So May, happy birthday." Jen passed her a small pink gift bag with a lacy ribbon. May thanked her and peered inside. At the party, was Jen, May, Jen's little sister Peggy and Stacy White. Yes, the brat was there too, but only because she was Jen's cousin.

"Wow, thanks Jen."

"Glad you like it chick." May strapped a black and pink playboy watch with diamantes in the clock face and hands.

"Here, my gift." Stacy smiled sickly sweet, obviously forced and passed her a pink box the size of a large shoes box. May smiled and couldn't catch her breath when she opened it. Inside was a set of pink fluffy handcuffs, a playboy police woman costume and whip, fishnets, condoms galore and 3 different lubricating oils. May went bright red and blushed even more when Stacy rolled off the bed with laughter. "I just thought perhaps, you might get laid at last this year. With a little help…" she snickered and May closed the box, putting to the bottom of her back pack. Then she smiled as best as she could, no matter how livid she truly was, and smiled as Peggy passed her a head scarf. It was pitch black with silver spider webs on it. It was a well known fact that May's favourite animal was the spider, so this was an obvious good choice.

"Thanks Peg." She smiled genuinely and gave the young 12 year old a great big hug. She immediately covered all her hair with it in a true gypsy style. So none of her hair was on show, just some of her fringe and her auburn eyebrows. It billowed down her left shoulder and down the front to her hip. "how does it look?"

"Dreadful. Take it off." Stacy wrinkled her nose at it, but May ignored her.

"Well I like it Stacy. Thank you Peggy." May had to chuckle when Peggy stuck her tongue out at the plastic queen, after switching her eyeliner with a very similar purple ink pen. And the best part was that Stacy didn't even know.

for a few more hours it went like that, one of the biggest laughs came when they melted chocolate on the cooker and broke one of Stacy's manicured nails. She went ballistic and threatened to send the cooker to the junk yard if someone didn't get her a nail file ASAP. When 8pm came at last, her mobile went off. "Hello? Oh, hi dad." May hushed her friends as her father spoke on the phone.

"Are you still at Jen's?"

"Yes dad."

"Just checking. And it's time for you to come home now."

"Ok, I'll get a taxi with the money in my purse."

"Are you sure? I could swing by and pick you up." She coughed over the phone. "I did mean in the car."

"Unfortunately…but no. I will get a cab. There is one waiting on the corner right now as we speak. See you soon dad."

"Alright. If there is any problems then call me."

"You worry too much. See you soon." She put her phone in her bag and noticed that everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"You just lied to your dad. You never lie to your dad."

"I did not." but Stacy smirked at her.

"Then there is an invisible cab on the street corner. And I want to know who he is."

"he?"

"The guy you are going to see on your way home."

"There isn't a guy Stacy. I will get a cab. I just wanted to stop his worrying."

"Sure, and I think my gift will be the more useful one tonight." She laughed loudly and May jumped to her feet.

"No, I am getting a cab." She put all her things back into her back pack. She loved her back pack. It was a small, but practical, bright blue back pack with a hand stitched (by her) red spider on the front. As she thought of her bag, and how it held her new costume, she thought up of a new name for it. SBP. Spidy back pack. Cool. She smiled to herself, after having a little reminder of her new gift from the excellent kissing stranger. The real reason she didn't want her father to come and get her, was because she wanted to try webbing home. But the smile faded as she swooned to the floor.

"MAY!" Jen and Peggy lifted her onto the bed and tried to hold her still, as her entire body went into spasm and cold sweat formed on her brow.

"Oh my God! I am so calling 911!" Stacy got her flip phone and speed dialled the number. "Hello? I need an ambulance." She took off downstairs with the phone, leaving Jen to try and snap her friend out of it.

May felt so cold, and it was so hard to breath. Her blood was pulsing faster and faster with each passing second, burning like acid and yet freezing her limbs and wracking them like ice was forming in her veins. Her vision became blurred and she whimpered.

"W what…" but she fell unconscious instantly and her world went very, very dark. But just at the moment, between consciousness and giving in to the void, she could have sworn she saw the most horrid set of white eyes from within the darkness. Like two large flames and centred solely on her. But then she slipped as all feeling and thoughts left her…

"May? May……May…"

"May? May can you hear me sweetie?" she groaned loudly and slowly opened her eyes. But a burning light stung her eyes into withdrawal behind her still heavy lids. "May sweetie? Its mommy can you hear me?"

"…mm…mmoommm?"

"That's right honey. Take it easy. That was quite an ordeal you went through."

"Wha, what happened?" May pulled herself up and rubbed her head. When her eyes finally adjusted, she realised she was back in her room, and her mother was sat on her bed with her father sat in a chair next to her. "Ordeal? What are you talking about?"

"Why honey you were attacked…don't you remember?"

"Attacked? I only remember being at Jen's…having a phone call from dad and then…" she rubbed her head, still soar from what must have been an aching head ache. She looked up at her mother. She was still as radiant as ever, graced with mature beauty in the place of age and worry lines. her long trademark red hair in a well groomed French plat and wearing yellow designer matching jacket and skirt suit piece. Not to mention dark tights and yellow high heels. Her long pearl necklace swayed with every slight movement she made and her deep green eyes held worry. But why? "What happened to me? I don't remember being attacked."

"That is because I saved you." Peter sat at the other side of her and held one of her hands. "An old adversary of mine, attacked the house you were in and hit you from behind. I heard the address and came running as fast as I could, in my Spidy suit."

"But…then what?"

"Your father saw him leave Jen's house, with you. He followed the brute and fought him until he won. I tell you, it is a good thing he has the enhanced healing abilities he does, or he would still have broken ribs."

"Wait." That didn't add up. "I know dad is good at healing, but it takes weeks, a week at the least to heal major bone injuries…how long was I out?"

"…" MJ looked to Peter and held her other hand. "Honey, sweetie, you've been out for a few weeks now. Three actually."

"Wow…" she pulled her hands back to run them through her matted hair. "Why was I out so long?" MJ then looked worryingly at Peter.

"That is the problem sweetie…we don't know."

"The doctor's said you were as fit as a fiddle and you should be on a basket ball court, not in a minor coma in bed. there was nothing wrong with you, but you couldn't wake up." Her father put his hand on one of her shoulders. "We were worried about you…and you don't remember anything?" he emphasized anything, like there was a hidden meaning to it. She raised a brow and shuck her head.

"No dad." But he didn't seem all to happy with that answer.

"So you don't remember your attacker?"

"No. I didn't even know there was an attacker until you told me."

"Good. the less traumatised you are the better." Peter then seemed dead set on moving off the topic. But May wanted more answers.

"Who was he?"

"Who?"

"The old adversary that tried to take off with me. Who was he?"

"Oh, no one." Peter ushered MJ out the room, but looked back before he closed the door. "After that nasty coma, you are staying home for a few weeks as we monitor you. Your mother has to leave tomorrow to Chilli and I will be having a busy week at the bugle. They are having a bug charity drive for children with Leukaemia this week and we need to be prepared for any news. So I will be working from 7am to possibly 11 at night. Sleep for the rest of the day and we will see how you're feeling tomorrow. But you will stay in bed even if you feel like getting up. The doctor said we should keep you in bed for possibly a month after you wake up. Be lucky we won't be that strict."

"Thanks I guess." May chuckled and slummed back into her bed. she did still feel a little woozy."

"And…if you need me, or remember anything important…ring me straight away alright?"

"Ok dad." May turned over and noted how strangely her dad was acting.

"Good night…" Peter closed the door and didn't say another word until he was alone with his wife in the bedroom.

"Peter. That story that you told back there, May will accept it, but I don't. I know more than anyone when you are covering for something. What really happened?"

"…nothing hun. Let's get some rest." Peter took his shirt off and started to pull his socks off.

"Peter…" she said in the 'don't you dare avoid this' voice with the death glare to match.

"MJ." He sighed. "Alright. But you can't tell May this. She isn't happy about me giving up my webs as it is. This might just upset her further…"

flash back

Jen started fanning her fallen friends motionless face desperately.

"May! May wake up!" she turned to her sister. "Peggy, go and." But Stacy ran back into the room.

"Listen, the ambulance is here." She moved aside as two paramedics took control of the situation.

"What is her name miss?"

"May, May Jane Parker." Jen whimpered, tears building up from her panicking state. "What's wrong with her?"

"Tell me what happened?" one of them quickly took her vitals as the other queried the shivering wreak of a friend.

"Well, we were having a birthday party, she got a call from her dad and was just about to call a cab home when she just, fainted."

"Alright, dos she have any medical history of epilepsy, diabetes or mental condition?"

"No. she hardly has asthma."

"Ok. Is she allergic to anything?"
She doesn't like nuts that much. And she hated fish. But she isn't allergic to anything."

"Right, her pulse is erratic, her breathing is shallow and I don't like how cold she is getting. We'll take her in." a fold up stretcher came out and May was quickly loaded onto it.

"Will she be alright?" Jen held her hands together and begged God she would be.

"I give you my word she will get the best of help."

"You have no idea." The girls screamed and the men yelled as a 7 foot Venom crashed through the widow, sending shards of glass into the poor blonde haired girl who was doing her makeup near it. His tendrils flared throughout the room, threw the three girls out the room and the two paramedics out the window, not caring where they landed. Luckily for them, Peter still kept his spider radio, used to over hear all 911 related orders and knew the address of his daughter's friend's address, pulled his clothed off to reveal his current costume and swung there when he did. As if he hadn't, the men would be stains on the road by now instead of in a web between two lamp lights.

"Thank you spider man!" one shouted.

"That girl needs help in there, she's out cold and trapped in there with him!"

"With who?" But he didn't have to wait too long to find out as his large, Spiderman life long enemy, Venom, erupted from the window. Spiderman was stunned in horror as he looked up to see his own daughter, prone in the monster's arms and being carted off to only God and Venom knows where. "PUT HER DOWN!" Peter shot a ball of webbing at him and quickly took up the pursuit.

"Parker!"

"Nice to know I was remembered. I wish the same wasn't the same for you Brock."

"We are not Eddie Brock!" Venom landed on a roof top way ahead of Spiderman and tore a gargoyle from its perch. As Peter caught up with them, the statue was quickly pelted at his gut and from the sickening crack; he knew he had caused some damage. That, and the blood curdling scream that came from Peter as he collided with the floor. "Parker, Parker, Parker." He chuckled and sat cross legged, stroking May's hair as he cradled her in his lap. "We are surprised at you. After all these years, and you still fall for the same tricks. And after all these years you still can't remember our name. Venom, Ve-nom. Say it with us, Venom." Peter groaned and tried to shift the rock, but it was more than 4 times his size. And he hated to think what it weighed as it crushed his vital organs. "What? You don't feel like talking anymore? Being crushed by large objects never stopped you before…We guess some things have changed…speaking of changes." Peter looked up to see Venom fondling a lock of his daughter's hair. "For once Parker, you did something right. We bet she makes you proud, studying like you did, religiously saying a prayer every Sunday night before bed, idolising good old Uncle Ben and well, you." Venom hissed, his eyes never leaving May's face. "You better thank her. She is the only reason you are still alive. We had my chance to kill you and your little wifypoo years ago, 16 years, 8 and half months and a day to be exact." Peter gasped. That meant… "Oh yes Parker. We came into your cosy, little home while you slept on the very night May was conceived. You're Spidersense never did have any affect when it came to us, did it?" he chuckled sibilantly and rocked May back and forth, like a baby. "We have watched her from a far. She has grown into quite the specimen hasn't she?"

"You keep your filthy symbiotic hands away from her!"

"But you misunderstand us Parker. We dot want to hurt her…" Venom sniffed her hair and growled. "How could we harm such a creature, a spawn of our other, you." Venom stood up and still held May in a bridal hold. "We will get our revenge on you Parker. Give up being Spiderman, and I will not come near you home, while she sleep or not. I will leave your wife and you alone. We do not want to fight, but if you persist in being a nuisance, then we will remove you…or your family. Or both."

"You wouldn't!"

"But Parker." Venom lifted the gargoyle with a large tendril coming from his back and lowered in next to him. "You were responsible for killing your Uncle Ben. Do you really want to be responsible, for another of your loved ones dying?" He lowered to his knees and laid May out gently, hiding her back pack behind him with his tendrils. He made those specific demands for a reason. May would only become Spidergirl if she thought that her father wouldn't be Spiderman anymore. It was imperative that Parker gave it up, so that May would take the masked web slinger's role. Because when she did, he could make his move. Then, his revenge could truly begin. "While ever you are Spiderman Parker, we will fight you, and we will win. We have always won in the end. Even you can't deny that." He hissed and stepped back, step by step towards the other side of the roof top. "It is your choice Parker, but if you come home to a dead wife, you will know why." Venom shot a thick line of webbing from the back of his hand and swung off to quickly for Peter to know where to.

Peter limped towards her, holding his bleeding torso and crying under his mask. That was his last night. Spiderman was hanging up his webs and would patrol the big apple no more. He always knew if he had to, he would sacrifice his mask for his family. And that time had come. Now was the time to quite, for his family. He would give it up for his family.

End flash back

"You see why we can't tell her? How would she feel if she thought she was under threat from a guy like Venom? That, and she would be furious at me for giving in." MJ rubbed comforting circles in his back. "She would never forgive me if she found out she was the reason, if only a third of the reason, that I gave it up. And she is a young girl, it isn't fair for her to think she is in constant danger. It would traumatise her."

"I understand honey. And I do feel you made the right decision. I would like to have my husband back."

"I know you do. And luckily May doesn't even remember she was attacked so she will not think anything off it."

"You're right."

"I only told her she was because if I didn't, her friends would."

"I know. that Jen girl has been ringing all week. And four times today. I will call her tomorrow and tell her she can come and visit some time. She is a good friend that girl."

"I am glad she has a friend like her."

"Me too." Peter smiled weakly as MJ kissed his cheek. "Now get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"As do you, missus world renowned super modal and ass and boobs of the year." Peter smirked as MJ turned off the lights…