The End 9- 'Friends with Friends'

"But I think it's hilarious." Peter Parker commented to Piper, who had just gotten up from the couch.

The teenage girl rolled her eyes, "real funny" She commented. "Now as for your real girlfriend, MJ" Piper continued. "Wouldn't she be disappointed? Are you going to see her again ever?"

Peter shrugged and sort of backed away from Piper, "Not right now I've got my hands full."

"No, you're not busy" She rolled her cinnamon brown eyes. "Why don't you go to the movies or something?"

"I don't know I don't think it's a good idea…"

"What about…one of those one-night dinner cruises?"

"On my budget? Besides we're just friends"

"Peter, you never spend money unless its necessary, but I'll finance it for you if you won't!" The blonde-haired girl said remembering her current savings. "Besides," she finished "Wouldn't MJ like it? Friends can go with friends on dinner cruises just tell her you happened to have tickets…"

"Yeah…" Peter answered.

"So are you gonna?"

The blue-eyed man paused for a minute carefully thinking this over…a night with Mary Jane…the person he loved.

"Yeah, I will." Was his reply. It couldn't hurt after all could it? It might even be fun.

Piper smiled. "I knew you would."

"But first, ready for a round of web slinging?" Peter said digging into his hamper. They still had an ever present job to do.

"You betcha" Piper replied heading towards the door back to her apartment. "And by the way Peter," she said opening the door "Don't forget to call MJ first." Piper winked at him and Peter nodded.

"So why are we out there again Beth?" Beth's new and personal camerawoman replied.

"Because we're looking for some live footage" was her answer. She had just gotten a call about a possible Spiderman/Spidergirl sighting.

Maxine pulled her red hair away from her face and checked her camera lens for about the fiftieth time making sure that it was in perfect working order. After all, she could allow no harm to come to her favorite and most precious camera.

Beth Hammond's career was looking bright, after about five talk show invites or so her news studio gave her a very nice raise in pay and they offered more if Beth could dig up some more on this girl. Beth smiled smugly thinking about her cute new wardrobe and how the people at the station would be kissing up to her.

"I don't understand, why can't we do a story on doughnuts?" Maxine asked as they passed a Krispy Kreme. "I mean, how do they get the holes in the doughnuts? Do they use lasers or something?" Max had always wondered this "wouldn't the public want to know about that instead of a super hero that doesn't even exist?"

"Max, you're an idiot and I'm not paying you for suggestions." Beth said focusing her attention on where they were driving.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for your general public." Max/Maxine said in an informative way.

"And for your information Spidergirl is very real." Beth answered matter-o-factly.

"Yeah Rig-…"

Max looked out the window just to see two figures swing across the nearest building.

"Holy Shiznit!" were the first words that came out of her mouth. Beth swerved the car they were in as they stopped abruptly and parked to the side of the road. They both hurried out of the car and Maxine readied her camera.

They were just in time to see the duet of super heroes bring two little kids to safety. The kids had been playing on their old apartment building's fire escape until its rusty hinges began to collapse

Fortunately nobody was hurt.

"Are you getting this Max?" Beth said shouting over the other reporters as Spiderman and Spidergirl handed the children over to a thankful mother; "they always play out there…I had no idea it was so old…"

"Yeah, I am." The woman said from behind her camera.

A loud masculine voice shouted from crowd as everyone started asking questions at once. A reporter from a local station was filming from a giant news camera, no doubt showing live footage of the current scene.

An idea occurred to Max at that moment, vying for the super hero's attention.

"Hey! You guys! Kiss up for the camera!" Max said shouting and holding up her prized video camera.

A hot blush passed through Piper's face as she let the little girl she was holding down. At first she was just shell shocked from all the attention but now she was angry. In her wrath she flung her wrist out and a web stuck onto Maxine's precious camera and in a huff climbed the building and bounded away.

"Sorry," Spiderman said "She's not much into PDA." And he too took off.

"PDA?" a random news reporter asked.

"Public display of affection" someone answered.

"Ohhhh."

A few days later Piper was relaxing after a short evening of crime fighting, in a nice hot bubble bath that was soaking into her skin. It was pleasant and relaxing and it helped her ward away thoughts of being stalked by news reporters. The blonde-haired teenager munched on a chocolate bar that she had coveted in the fridge for stressful emergencies. She enjoyed the rich flavor melting in her mouth as she took another delicious bite of chocolate. She also had brought in a CD player to listen to some of her favorite music.

Piper's chocolate bliss however was ruined by thought of Beth Hammond, the reporter that was going to make her super hero life miserable. Piper inhaled the scent of her rose bubble bath (she bought it at bath and body work's one stressful day) and how comfortable the bath cushion behind her back was.

The angry thoughts soon left her mind as another realization occurred to her. Piper began scrubbing herself with a purple mesh shower poof to remove the day's dirt and grime from her skin.

"I just helped the person I like most go on a date with the person I hate most" the teenager let that statement sink in. "And now I'm hoping they're having a good time."

Piper sunk deeper into her bubbled bath, riding herself of the soap she'd lathered on herself.

A groan escaped her lips and she tried let herself relax again trying harder to pay more attention the music she was listening to rather than thoughts about Peter's date.

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Piper took off the headphones before the song could go to the chorus, at the moment she didn't want to hear a song that like, but still…

"No Peter, I won't back down…not just yet…"

If there was one thing Peter Parker had been before, it was nervous around girls, especially a girl named Mary Jane. Piper was a girl but her personality was not like Mary Jane's. Piper was very tom boyish; Mary Jane was exactly the opposite. In fact this was Mary Jane, the girl he'd liked since the first grade. The girl he never wanted to see hurt.

Peter Parker seemed into taking risks these days "Because for once night," he decided "I'm going to be like any other guy being out with a girl"

It had taken him so long to realize that he didn't have to shy away anymore, how many criminally insane people out to get him, are there after all? At least at that moment it seemed logical to him.

Peter figured the odds were in his favor. So as he fiddled around with his tux, he waited for MJ to answer the door. He imagined the sound of her voice, her smiling eyes and the way her voice sounded and that no words could describe how she felt about him, and Peter had rejected this.

Maybe if he had led a different life style and didn't feel he had to be so responsible, then at the graveyard he would have said how much he loved her. But he didn't and there was no use changing that. He hoped somewhere down in his heart that Mary Jane knew he wasn't just a friend. Peter was ready to take on the future, no matter what happened, no matter where he would end up with Mary Jane and that the expression "happily ever after" would somehow find him. He decided he was going to a brave new person and a dashing prince charming, even though it was out of character for him.

And then the door opened.

And Peter Parker forgot everything he said to himself about what he was going to do.

"And I'm just a science club geek…and I'm happy to be that, if I'm standing next to Mary Jane"

MJ was all together stunning. Beautiful wasn't enough to describe her exact radiance at that moment. She was wearing a navy blue evening gown that would put any man on their knees. Even the fabric seemed to match and compliment her regal blue eyes. The dress did not have a low cut neck, but it wasn't high either. It wrapped around tightly every single inch of her curves and portrayed her figure exquisitely and regally.

"You look…great" Peter said lost for words and was flustered in a way that only he could be.

MJ smiled a smile that could have sent every man in five-mile radius to her easily. Needless to say Peter Parker's knees were like jell-o.

"Thanks, for taking me out I really appreciate it" MJ said honestly. She always looked forward to the time she spent with Peter.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take you as my date- that is of course if you want to" Peter Parker said slightly less nervous than he originally thought he would.

"I'd like that, a lot." The redhead said knowing tonight would be very special. After all there wasn't a person in the world Mary Jane cared for more than Peter Parker. She loved him for his personality, how he always encouraged her and was always there every single time and he never asked anything in return from her.

Mary Jane decided it was time to give back, and show him just how much he meant to her. After all he was a close friend. He always seemed to be around when she was hurt or in trouble.

And they left for a night of dinner, dancing and a good time, but more importantly to know that sometimes you fail to notice the one you really love, or someone that really cares about you, no matter who they are.

"Want to dance with me Peter? Please?" Mary Jane begged.

"Uh…Mary Jane…I can't dance"

"That's what everyone says!" and she asked once again.

"If you really want to…" Peter answered and then laughed "All right, just don't blame me if I step on your toes."

Mary Jane rolled her blue eyes, "I'm sure you're better than that."

About a minute into the song MJ's toes had not been squashed but that didn't mean Peter Parker wasn't nervous because was still trying his hardest to get feet to do the right dance steps.

"Okay," Mary Jane laughed "You're not so bad at this."

"Only because you're leading." He joked around.

They both laughed.

Peter stopped dancing for a moment. Every fiber of his being told him at this exact moment would be a great time to kiss her.

MJ also stopped dancing. She stood there with her arms around Peter wondering why he had stopped.

"Thank you for going with me tonight MJ" he said breathlessly.

"Thank you for inviting me" Mary Jane graciously replied "I wouldn't have wanted to go with anybody else.

Peter Parker for the first time felt love, love that was returned. Even if it hadn't been said out loud.

"The greatesttttt thing, you'll eeeeeeever learn is just to loveeeeee and be loveddddddd in return!" Piper sang along rather loudly and badly to her Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

She wasn't having a good night. After she got out of the bath she put on her favorite pair of pajamas; her fuzzy sheep pajamas. The ones she was wearing when she kissed Peter. Piper didn't think anything off it until she had lain down in her bed and was perfectly comfortable.

"No wonder these were at the bottom of my drawer…" She murmured to herself. Eventually Piper fell asleep with the thoughts of the up coming senior prom, but that did not bother her because she wasn't going to go. School was rough for Piper with her new schedule. She had to function off little sleep and sometimes painful bruises. She tried not to think about it; it wasn't really worth thinking about or stressing out over.

That night Piper had a dream, well she didn't know that at the time because it was lucid to her.

"What the hell?" Piper questioned to herself as she was in her fuzzy sheep pajamas on top of the roof top garden. For a split second she saw Peter standing next to a cherry tree in full blossom. The wind blew and pink petals fluttered through the air. One floated right past her cheek. She felt its tiny flutter and continued to look at Peter she realized the fluttering sensation had not stopped; just seeing him gave her butterflies in her stomach.

The "dream" Peter extended his hand out and gestured for Piper to come towards him. Piper smiled and felt a warmth spread through her like none other she had felt before. She began to run towards him. She stopped abruptly when she heard a scream of "help me!" come from exactly behind her.

It was Mary Jane and she was hanging from the side of the building clinging to the edge for dear life. The ground beneath Piper began to shake and she knew the spot she was standing on would collapse. She could run ahead to Peter with his arms stretched out, or go back and save Mary Jane, she didn't know if she could do both however; once the ground was gone from underneath her she would not be able to get back.

She immediately began to continue running forward. All the while she heard Mary Jane's screams. She felt her heart tearing inside her to go back but still she kept moving forward.

And when she heard Mary Jane's last scream while she was in Peter's arms she almost cried, but remembered Peter was with her so it would be okay.

But it wasn't, because the ground underneath her opened up and left her hanging on the edge. She immediately tried to climb back up but her hands would not stick like they used to and her web refused to work as well.

"Peter!" she cried out.

She was unable to use any of her powers and was just as helpless as Mary Jane.

Peter stood there frozen and looking forward.

"Help me!"

He still didn't move.

"No! Please!" She sobbed and let tears run down her cheeks.

As her tired hand released its grip on the side of the ledge she tried to get another grip to save herself from falling but only took a handful of grass with her as she fell into a black abyss.

"No!"

Piper sat up in her bed sweating and crying and she threw off her covers.

"What a horrible dream!"

She wiped her forehead nervously as the sweat dripped off her body. The dream had felt so real.

"Why did I choose that?"

Piper was more concerned about her dream than falling back asleep. Even though it was just a dream, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she would have made that choice in real life. Piper pushed it into the back of her mind. That would never happen. She wouldn't be forced to choose.

The End 10- Passing out off the side of a building

The End

It was covered with smoke and hot, most burning buildings were like that though.

"Is there anyone still in there?" Piper/Spidergirl called out hoping that she and Peter had gotten most of the people out already.

"I'm still here!" a voice called out.

"Where? I can't see you!" Spidergirl called back. It was REALLY hot and Piper had perspiration stains on her/Peter's "borrowed" suit, not to mention the fact that sides in the building were hurtling out in random exploding intervals that sent pieces of chewed up and burnt wood throttling to the ground below.

Spidergirl heard coughing in a room over to the right; quickly she avoided flames and with one mighty whack from her leg destroyed the door blocking entrance to the room. It sent splitters flying into the flickering torrid flames near by.

Sitting in the room clutching her personal palm pilot (with the raise, the pen and paper had been done way with) Beth Hammond was obviously waiting for someone to come save her.

"You risked your life to get a story?" Spidergirl said aloud in disbelief.

"Not…really," Beth Hammond said getting up "could you please help me out before the place collapses?"

"Why should I? You wrote all those horrible and untrue things about me! Wouldn't the media world be better with out you?" this really wasn't the time and place to argue about ethics; Piper knew this but she disliked Beth Hammond so much that even a burning building could not distract her.

"I was only reporting the, truth- you do like Spiderman right?" Beth said preparing to taking down notes

"No! I don't!" Piper said angrily

"Oohhh I see! You're-

"No! I'm not! That's slander! Just like that time you said Spiderman and I had a kid that lived in Kentucky!"

"Sorry, you just gave me lack of facts, so it was only logical to conclude such a theory." Beth reasoned in a huff.

"I'm leaving." Spidergirl said indignantly turning around.

"Wait, please? I'm innocent! Remember!"

"Innocent? Hardly! You-

Piper noticed a burning beam about to fall on Beth.

"Oh damn it." Spidergirl said as she rushed off to save Beth. She couldn't avoid her conscience.

"My hero's conscience…" she mumbled under her breath.

Spidergirl, however had reacted just a little too late and took a heavy blow to her back. She let out a cry of pain but couldn't not finish what she had started. She had to save Beth. She pulled Beth out of the building by leaping from an exploded window and web slinging to the ground.

Spidergirl cringed as she flicked out her wrist to safely swing to the ground.

Spiderman a.k.a. Peter Parker witnessed Piper's blow to the back and it currently looked extraordinarily painful because of the bruises, cuts and blood dripping down her now bare back. Not to mention the sickening crunch the flaming timber had made when it came in contact with Piper's spine.

Piper set Beth down, it didn't matter that Beth was at least inches six taller than she was; Piper was still able to carry her.

"I hope…you're grateful." Spidergirl sputtered suddenly feeling sort of weak in her legs.

She made an effort to walk a few feet and climbed weakly up a near by building watching the fire fighters calm the flames, coaxing them down with gallons of white gushing water that cascaded up to the building. The pain she neglected to feel while saving Beth began exploding through her body.

"You okay?" Spiderman asked suddenly appearing next Spidergirl.

"Oh…I'm fine" I'm only in an excruciating amount of pain

She muttered out refusing to admit she was weak in the knees. Piper hauled herself up, only to collapse again and tried to get up once more. Damnit!

Peter offered her a hand. He wasn't sure just how hurt she was.

"Sure, you're fine"

"Shut up" Piper spat back at him but unwillingly took his hand.

She felt a little dizzy, but tried not to let it show.

"Let's… get going." she finished and took a few steps towards the edge of the building.

Peter shrugged and followed her. She seemed to be her usual self; he didn't think she was seriously injured. After his super hero powers did allow his body to endure a lot more than it was used to.

Spidergirl put her hand out just like she had done what seemed like a million times before, and looked ahead, but her eyes rolled back in her head under her mask as she fell straight off the building.

Spiderman, rushed to catch her, as the crowd below made a loud cheering noise as the masked spandex clad man who saved Spidergirl from falling.

When Piper woke up, her back was infinitely sore and in pair of boxers and a huge t-shirt.

The teenage-girl groaned a bit, this was not how she wanted to spend her weekend. She also realized she was in an unfamiliar bed and her father was sitting in the corner of the room.

Piper rubbed her eyes wondering what exactly her father knew; after all she assumed she was in Peter Parker's bed. She glanced around for the time; it was only about a half hour from when she passed out she assumed. Peter must have brought her to his apartment to change before he would take her to a hospital. She wondered why he called her father? And what exactly he had told him.

Just then Mary Jane walked in holding a tray with a chocolate chip muffin and a hot cup of tea.

Her father started to rouse, at the sound of noise and smell of food.

"Huh?" Piper questioned.

"Here, hungry?" MJ asked smiling.

"Yeah" Piper said accepting the food. She sat up a little and winced. Piper also noticed the bandages around her side.

"I take it that left a mark?" she said aloud as her cinnamon eyes glanced at the slightly reddish stains on the white wrappings.

"Hell yes, it did." Ed said now awake.

"How did I-

At this time Peter walked in and greeted the bunch in the room.

"You were lucky" Peter Parker started "Spiderman got you out of their just in time, he brought you to an ambulance and they were able to patch up the cuts on your back. I brought you back here after and called your Dad." Peter explained.

Piper tried to keep a straight face, because she knew she passed out after taking a beating to the back. Peter was not good at lying.

"And it's a good thing they found you and this man was nice enough to take care of you." her father commented. Obviously he didn't remember Peter as the photographer.

The blonde-haired teen started to munch on her muffin. It was quite good, and she assumed it came from the café where Mary Jane spent most of her working days.

"Hey, Dad can you get me a spare change of clothes?" she asked noticing her outfit and the fact she wanted to talk with Peter alone.

"Sure, but are you all right?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Peter rolled his eyes secretly "Last time you said that you passed out and fell off a building"

Ed got up assuring Piper he would be back in about ten minutes at the most. Piper nodded and smiled faintly.

Now the only problem was that MJ was in the room.

"Can I see how bad it is?" Piper asked pointing to her bandages, hoping Mary Jane would have a weak stomach.

Piper started undoing the bandages and looked at her swollen back.

"Yup, I banged it up good"

Mary Jane did not seem to want to leave the room though, in fact her eyes widened and she ran out of the room and rushed back in a second later coming in with a paper.

"What?" Peter asked curiously.

It was a picture showing Spiderman holding an unconscious Spidergirl (well actually you could only see Piper's bare and bloody back) and it looked exactly like Piper's.

The facts occurred to Piper.

"Oh shit" she thought.

"I know who you are" Mary Jane said with her mouth half open looking at Piper.

"Really?" Piper said nervously "I haven't even figured that out yet"

"Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. What if she figures out Peter…" she silently prayed this wasn't what she thought.

"Don't try and deny it, you're Spidergirl." Mary Jane paused for a moment "Oh my god those tabloids!"

"Are NOT true!" Piper spoke out.

Mary Jane signed in relief. "So you are- that explains a lot…Do you know who Spiderman is then?"

Piper's face faulted she shook her head "I don't he's really secret about his identity." She very blatantly lied.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief (while pretending to be shocked about Piper).

Mary Jane seemed satisfied with her answer and didn't press her any further. Peter breathed a sigh of relief. His secret was still safe. Piper recovered her wounds and unhappily tried to lie back down. She couldn't believe she had given her secret away. She wondered if Mary Jane would go all gushy and mushy on her.

"Could you…please not tell anyone?" Piper pleaded, "Especially not my Dad?"

Mary Jane looked hesitant for a moment but Peter spoke up quickly, "Of course, we'll keep it just between us three, right."

Mary Jane nodded. She seemed kind of misty eyed, I'm sure that I can get Piper to tell me who Spiderman really is…

"Thank you." Piper said truly grateful. She just couldn't believe that was all it took for her secret to get out.

Mary Jane wasn't the only one about to get mushy, Maxine; Beth's camerawoman was currently in a camera repair shop.

"What do you mean you can't fix this! Is that a camera repair shop or not!" Max said arguing for the sake of her precious and beloved camera that might be doomed to remain sticky for all eternity.

"I think I can help Miss" a manly voice said.

Maxine turned around to see the hunkiest redheaded guy she had ever met.

"Oh yes you can" Max grinned. It was good Max didn't know the web would be dissolved by tomorrow; otherwise she wouldn't have had the chance to flirt.