Akili-Chan: I always thought so, if you pay attention during their meeting in the comics Darkdevil actually smiles. He's far more amused with Gerry than May was. I think they'd help each other out a lot since they have different outlooks and experience yet have so much in common. I see Reilly at a sort of breaking point where it's hard to be civil when he's feeling so horrible. Peter and Kaine are making a serious effort to better themselves for Reillys' sake. They understand that they need to support each other. I assumed that was the whole point of April being a hybrid so I could never see her getting sick.

...

Gerry didn't want to leave the side of one of the few souls that could truly understand his plight. It made Reilly wonder if Gerry was isolated all his life without any friends. He was always trying to play it cool yet so eager to please and prove himself. Reilly allowed the boy to tag along partly to keep his mind off his own problems with his family. Peter had made a few appearences to check up on his nephew and try to fix their already complex relationship. Their conversations were short, made up of safe topics and what little Peter had heard of Kaine's new mission. He suspected Dr. Richards made excuses to keep him there because of the his uncle. The flu was passing and physically he felt fine. Until he could be cured there was nothing to do besides getting the occasional treatments.

The last thing he expected was to see Mary Jane sitting in his room.

"I'm sorry to come unannounced but I really think we have to talk."

A fresh wave of shame and embarrassment rushed over him. A biting hurtful remark was at the edge of his tongue ready to spill out. But his aunt sat near his bed looking just like she had the day she promised not to repeat anything he chose to tell her. Taking a deep breath Reilly pushed back the angry impulse and shrugged in return.

"I know what May did was thoughtless and hurt you. She meant well-she always does-but that doesn't excuse it. Your past is your business and whether she meant it or not she invaded your privacy. Broke your trust and overstepped her boundaries. Whether you forgive her is entirely up to you, Reilly. "

He never imagined Mary Jane would tell him it was okay not to forgive May, in fact he expected her to tell him to patch things up. There wasn't any pity in her eyes just understanding. Feeling less defensive the boy stepped further into the room knowing it would be harder to leave by allowing her the spot closer to the door. Mary Jane noticed the detail and gave a small nod of approval. Reilly gave her words some thought and realized he should give her some response.

"To be honest I don't...I don't want to forgive her." Saying it outloud felt like a betrayal and he almost expected her to shoot him a disapproving look. There were times when he felt guilty for how he felt and for wanting to stay away from May. Afterward he would mentally scold himself for feeling bad after what she had done. Reilly could admit to his own mistakes in the past and tried to learn from them. She had not and had repeatedly pushed when he told her not to. "I might not have gone about it the right way but I tried-then she-I'm tired of it. I tell her that I need space and she doesn't respect it."

"I'm sorry for what happened, I wish I could have prevented those...,"Mary Jane made a fist and shut her eyes tightly. For a moment he felt a strange bond with her, a sense of knowing without words that she really did understand how he felt. It was comforting in ways all of Peters' meaningless chatter had not been. "You never should have been forced to see them again. And...oh, before I forget I promised to give you this."

Digging into her purse Mary Jane handed him a card with a cartoon dog saying, "Heel-I mean heal!" To his surprise it was from April who filled out the entire inside with her large writing. No one really thought she was a caring person then she would do something like this and act like it was nothing.

Reilly,

I never wrote one of these before and it seems kinda dumb. But after what happened I thought you wouldn't want to see my face even though I didn't do anything wrong. I'm still not really sure what happened but I'm sorry I wasn't there to kick those creeps out. Or make May catch a clue. I don't know what I would have done I just know this sucks. I kinda get what May was trying to do since you're not the most open guy. I also get that it's hard to say some things. When I heard you got sick it was awhile before anyone told me it was the flu and not like the last time. Get better okay? Then maybe beat someone up, that always makes me feel better.

April

"She wanted me to let you know that she went for the "corny card" since she didn't care for the "sappy" ones."

The sentiment was sweet and Reilly appreciated the effort. He had regretted that the current situation made things awkward with April, he had just assumed she would be mad at him for leaving. "I-it's a good card."

"We all miss you, Reilly. It's okay if you're mad-"

"-Just direct it at the right people?" The teen finished. "It's more than being mad and it has nothing to do with April,"

"Just May?" The woman asked looking skeptical.

"Well them too." He amended not wanting to talk about his estranged relatives anymore.

"I mean in our family. Are you mad at Peter?" The look she gave him was expectant like she was just waiting for confirmation.

Biting into the inside of his cheek Reilly considered his answer instead of using his standard word parrying. He wondered how much she really knew of his history with his uncle. Surely she heard countless stories of Darkdevil being a mockery of a hero from her husband.

"For that? No."

"For how he treated you in the past?" Mary Jane prompted.

"I assume he gave you the highlights." At her nod he paused again to figure out how to put things he kept buried for so long into words. Whether or not he could even do that. "I've never been sure where I stand with Peter. At least when I was Darkdevil I knew he was being honest."

"Peter cares about you and regrets the past."

Reilly sighed, while he had a lot to say on that score and doubted Mary Jane would want to hear it.

"I'm not saying how he treated you was right. I just want you to realize he's trying and wants to be part of your life." She stated obviously misunderstanding his reaction.

"I get that. It's just...did he tell you why I think he cares?"

The motion of her nodding made her hair slip from her stylized bun. The imperfection made Mary Jane seem more motherly, a thought that had Reilly glancing away from her to study the card again. "You think it's just because of his guilt over Ben."

"Yeah."

"Honey...it's more than that. What happened during that time hurt all of us and we tried coping with it in different ways. He cares for you and I know he's so proud of what you've accomplished."

"Some of the things I accomplished." He corrected.

Her hand covered his then gave a squeeze when he didn't react. "You're family and we love you."

"If you say so." Reilly answered neutrally.

"Someday you will believe it." The determination in her voice was comforting the note of sadness however made him feel guilty again. "You can come home anytime you want. I'll understand if you want to stay longer but don't hide from us."

Mary Jane couldn't have known the amount of shame he felt at her words. Matt had been the man without fear and only thing keeping him from earning that title was his family. Rather his reaction to said family. The fear of rejection, the sting of Mays' actions and uncertainty of returning held him captive. Staying away was hiding but he didn't think he could face all of them now. His anger at May made him want to avoid her as much as possible. How much worse would it be once they found out the whole truth about his mother? Would they understand?

"Hey man do you want to-whoa!"

Standing at the doorway was Gerry with a handful of goodies from the vending machine. Messy dark hair gave the impression that he just woke up. Unless his mother visited Gerry never bothered with his appearance, Reilly suspected the other boy was a little depressed from being locked away. Wide eyes regarded Mary Jane with keen interest as Gerry tried to balance the burden he was carrying.

"Oh wow! Are you Mary Jane Parker?! I saw all your work! My mom has those designer collections you made! Hey aren't you married to Peter Parker too?! He shot all my favorite Spider-Man pictures!" All things considered Gerry was a breath of fresh air that lightened the mood without even trying.

Staring at the young man in front of her for a beat Mary Jane blinked before regaining her composure. "Ah yes. That's me, pleased to meet you Mr...?"

Seeing that Gerry was too star struck Reilly made the introductions, "This is Gerry Drew."

She turned to her nephew in surprise obviously having heard the name before. Turning back to the darker haired boy her smile widened. "I think my husband mentioned meeting you, Gerry."

"HE DID?! This is so awesome!" Practically hopping in excited glee he finally looked over to Reilly. "Dude you never told me!"

"That would imply I could get a word in edgewise."

"Man your mom is hot!" Realizing she was still in the room Gerrys' face turned a dark red. "Uh sorry ma'am."

Neither aunt or nephew really took in any remark after "mom" and Mary Jane tried to see how Reilly was taking it. The boys' face was unreadable although he did look paler. It was an easy mistake to make since they both had red hair, one Reilly tried to overlook as he quietly said," She's not my mom."

"What? Really?"

"I'm his aunt." She replied for both of them wondering if she should leave.

Fortunately Gerry took a hint for once,"Oh. Well I can come back later since you have a visitor. Nice meeting you, ma'am."

Once he was around the corner Mary Jane commented on him seeming like a nice boy. "Peter liked him although May didn't seem too fond of him."

Reilly made a noise of agreement not wanting to discuss Peters' easy acceptance or anything related to May. "He's okay."

"It's good to see you made a friend here. Have you met Johnny yet?"

"I think he's on vacation. I met him before though." If anything Reilly was relieved not to have to go through the confusion that re-introduction would create.

"I suppose I should warn you so you'll be prepared. A lot of people would like to speak with you. In fact a few might drop by later today." At his expression she shook her head. "No, May won't be one of them."

She was gone by the time Gerry came back and Reilly allowed himself to be dragged off to viewing area where they watched movies. Gerry wouldn't shut up about Reillys' family even with the short tense answers he received. It wasn't until he asked about the other boys' parents that he slowly got the message that it was a touchy subject.

"So if the Parkers aren't you're parents where are they? Are they away on business?"

"No."

The darker boy was sprawled out on the floor eating candy by the fistful. Lying on his stomach on the sofa next to him Reilly ate his candy one piece at a time wanting to savor each flavor. After his time living on the streets he tended not to take things for granted. He supposed Gerry was the opposite since he always knew he could die at any moment. What a pair they were.

Sitting up Gerry glanced over at him in confusion. "Then where are they? Are they divorced? Is your dad in the army or something?"

"He's dead."

"Geez, I'm sorry. I...I guess you're mom is too?"

Another chance to choose between a lie and a truth, Reilly thought wryly. "I never knew either of them."

An evasion of the question and partial truth. Most would have left it at that but his companion surprised him by noticing his choice of wording.

"That didn't answer my question. You didn't say she was dead so did she abandon you?" The fury that inquiry created must have been present in his eyes as Gerry quickly backpedaled. "Hey it's okay my dad left when I got sick!"

"That's-that's not what happened." At least he hoped that it wasn't at least partly true. "She didn't have a choice."

They were silent for an uncomfortably long period where the sound of the weird movie Gerry chose had it's hero show up. It was bizarre to see a man dressed up as a lobster more so when he noticed Mary Jane acting as the leading lady.

"Are you scared of dying?"

Reilly glanced back at Gerry who still had his eyes glued to the screen. "Not as much as I used to be. You?"

"Sometimes. I keep thinking of all the things I want to do, you know? I used to figure at least I could die doing something great."

"Instead you're locked up with a vague promise of a cure." They shared a twisted smile.

"Yeah. It might be nice to live a little before...you know." It was the saddest he ever saw the darker boy and Reilly felt himself sliding down to join him on the floor.

"What did you have in mind?" It was almost worth the sense of dread he felt to see the other boys' eyes light up.

"Two words dude: Road. Trip." Gerry crackled his knuckles. He might have looked as cool as he imagined if he didn't have a glob of chocolate over his face.

"I thought you promised Spider-Man that you'd try to get better."

"I can do that too, this is just a side trip I'm thinking of. Dr. Richards says that the current treatment will make it okay for me to be around people without worrying what will happen if I get cut." His excitement was infectious and Reilly found himself smiling despite himself. "If I have to take meds or whatever I'll just bring them with me. You can come too! It'll be like that movie!"

"Thelma and Louise?"

"NO! The cool one where they drive over the cliff!"

Reilly rolled his eyes skyward. "That is Thelma and Louise. I never saw the movie and I know that. So what, we're going to end a trip by breaking several laws and commit suicide? I'm going to have to pass on that one despite how tempting it sounds."

"They didn't die in the end! They totally made the jump! Besides I'd make sure we were okay, I'm a superhero."

"Uh huh. A superhero that's had the remote stuck to his hand for the last hour. If that happened at an ATM it might turn into a cross country chase." The idea was utterly ridiculous yet Reilly found himself imagining the freedom it would provide. It was a nice fantasy to just brush off all his recent struggle and simply enjoy life. In reality he couldn't see himself blowing off all his responsibltities. After years of having nothing of his own Reilly had created a life for himself. That wasn't something he could walk away from especially when he was still trying to deal with the new changes in his life.

Two hours later Gerry had to go to his appointment leaving Reilly alone in the recreational area. Another movie of Mary Janes' played and he found himself admiring her acting skill. It took a lot of practice to perfect a mask of fake emotions. When he was little it had been a struggle, when he got older sarcasm was his mask. Another hour passed and Reilly knew Gerry wouldn't be back for awhile. Treatments tired him out and the other boy was expecting his mom later on.

"I never took you for a sprawling type." Phil remarked from the doorway.

The sudden entrance registered before they appeared thanks to his spider-sense. What surprised him was that the visitors Mary Jane mentioned were Phil Urich and Normie Osborn. He expected they were there on Mays' behalf rather than concern for him. "When there aren't any gargoyles around I have to work with what I got."

The bespectacled man stood above him to stare at the boy in bemusement. "The more I learn about you kid the less I think I know you."

"You never knew me." Reilly reminded as he sat up and turned off the movie he was watching.

"I think we had an idea who you were before." Phil countered. "Right Normie?"

The other man jumped when he was called. "Sorry. I'm just trying to get over seeing him like this."

"Yeah, it is weird to see him so young."

"I meant without a suit." Normie teased.

Rolling his eyes Reilly leaned back against the sofa arm and crossed his arms. "I have to say this is unexpected."

"Is it? You were part of my legal team, techically you still are." Crossing the room Normie dared to sit down while Phil remained standing.

"You're part of the New Warriors whether you want to admit it or not." Phil added.

"We were never that close and you never came around the house when I was there." The teen pointed out. "I'm not in any serious danger which means you're here for another reason."

The men exchanged looks and Reilly had to bite back on his disappointment. Their true purpose had been apparent since he saw them but he couldn't help feeling bitter that they weren't really there to see him.

"We're concerned with how you're doing. While you may not be in any immediate danger the fact remains that you've been staying here instead of the Parkers." Normie stated diplomatically. "We didn't know what had happened when Peter asked us to look for you when you went missing."

"I assume you already asked them why I'm here since Mary Jane knew you were coming." A burning sense of betrayal burned in his chest at the thought of her lying to him. Saying that it was okay for him to be upset then bringing others in to guilt him into forgiving May. As usual his feelings didn't seem to mean anything.

"We told her we wanted to come but she wouldn't tell us anything. Just that it was a family matter." Phil replied sounding slightly hurt. "Mays' upset and all we know is that it has to do with you."

"So naturally you felt compelled to gang up on me. How heroic."

Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to say as Phil spun on the spot. "Don't give us that! You have a history of running away when things get tough! Get over yourself kid!"

Normie groaned because Phil had provoked Reilly and that was never wise.

"Maybe you should take your own advise because this has nothing to do with you." It was the only warning either of them would get.

"Phil, we didn't come here for a fight."

"I know, Normie but we need to get to the bottom of this." The older man pointed at Reilly. "We may not be blood but we're family. Mays' miserable right now and we need to figure out a way to fix this since you're not taking responsiblity."

"Ah, so now I'm the guilty party. Is that what your keen detective skills are telling you?" The youth glared at him ignoring Normie trying to keep the peace.

"You're not doing anything to solve it, kid. That girl deserves better than the cold shoulder treatment you give Peter! Are you really so much of a coward that you can't even face your own family?!"

Reilly felt his blood boil and at a different time fire would have surrounded him on command. "It really bothers you that no one will tell you, doesn't it? Part of you feels entitled to answers. After all you're family, right? You think everything's my fault because there's no way you'd believe it being the other way around. As usual Urich you're trying to be the authority on subjects well beyond you."

"We just want to help." Normie insisted.

"You have a strange way of going about it," Reilly remarked coldly. "As for May well I think it's funny that either one of you think you can talk. I seem to recall you giving her the cold shoulder for her choice with the Faces, Urich. To say nothing of your previous attacks, Normie."

Both men shifted uncomfortably as the boy continued.

"If you're so concerned with May go talk to her and leave me out of it." The clock on the wall climed to remind Reilly of his medication. Taking a capsule and a bottle of water he downed it and rose to his feet. "Thanks for stopping by."

"I didn't mean to...I'm sorry. This whole thing with May and Peter was just driving me crazy. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Phil sounded sincere.

"Yeah I suppose they do have it rough." The boy commented without a shred of irony as he rolled up his sleeve for another injection. Dr. Richards would be waiting for him and Reilly would be in no mood for guests after the treatment.