Of The Twilight Hours
Sequel to 'Midnight is Meant to Be'
Disclaimer: I own none of Marvel/Stan Lee's creations, only the scenario and original characters in this story.
Authors Note: Thanks for the kind reviews everybody, I'm glad you like it so far, so keep on giving me feedback lest I stray. I have to wait until June/July for my next Spiderman comics (I collects the volumes), which sucks ass!
The creak seemed to echo through the very fabric of her existence, the moan of strain that could ultimately end Mary Jane's life. Too scared to scream MJ's attention was split between both the solution and cause of her dilemma. The brunette trapped under a broken structural support beam, her pale face begging with its eyes for salvation, she was the reason MJ hadn't fled immediately. The solution she hoped, would come in the form of her red and blue guardian angel back from his agonising hiatus, the spark of danger he brought to the urban formalities that made up Mary Jane's life was both a blessing and a curse, it meant excitement but also danger. The likelihood of him saving her life on this occasion was unfortunately decreasing by the second, which it had been since he fell like a severed puppet from his indentation in the car Rhino had hurtled him into. As the creak finally began to wane, its chalkboard vocals dulling, MJ gritted her teeth she attempted to force the beam from its victim.
The beam was unfathomably heavy, weighted with the stress of the moment, the fear of being buried alive. As the brunette grasped MJ's leg with a vice like grip, agony and desperation channelling into her claw, but MJ didn't register the silent plea, as the beam itself was beginning to wobble. Feeling its movement, the anxiety ridden redhead searched intently for how she was managing to shake her foe, and she found its axis, the beam was resting only on a piece of rubble, and if she could push it far enough it would fall free of its prisoner. Breath ragged, blood pulsing like a torrent of fury around her body, Mary Jane threw her weight into the beam, screeching with the will to win, determined not to fail herself or the people whom were depending on her, the woman she was trying to save or the hero fighting to save her.
With fierce determination and strength unfamiliar to even herself the beam began to gradually surrender its hold over the brunette, and with one last mighty push MJ felt gravity pull it from it from its position, crushing into the floor. Amazed at the fact she had just succeeded Mary Jane merely panted in neutrality, a second or two later grasping the injured woman, dragging her under the arms towards the open safety of the street. Like a screaming throw in the consuming blackness of death the creak returned, a new and deadly crescendo of agony accompanying the steady cry of its predecessor, and MJ knew only seconds remained until the ceiling gave way.
As the rays of artificial night lighting beckoned her towards the street, fragments of the building began to rain, heavy clouds of dust bellowed from the cracks, and then just as freedom seemed to be within reach, the stress on the remaining supports became too much, and the café collapsed in on itself.
As Peter's eyes opened, he noticed the silence, their was no booming footsteps or ferocious charge, this combined with the fact the street light was obscured from above would explain his spider sense going haywire. Rolling From his crumpled position only four feet to his left, Spiderman was mere inches away from the crater made by the foot of the Rhino, the huge tread which had been looming over the prone hero for the split seconds he had needed for composure. Flicking on to his feet from his chest and then back flipping to a crouch on the bonnet of the dented SUV he had been thrown into, Peter quickly realised that Rhino was out for blood, not money this time around. Why attack a café after dark? Attention, casualties and leverage, it was obvious, but not obvious enough to have been thought of by this giant idiot, somebody had pt this idea in his head, Shocker maybe?
Jumping backwards ten feet Peter dodged the axe handle smash which flattened the car he had been on, and he began to look around for a way to put his aggressor down. Dodging was easy, Rhino was slow, and s long s he kept roughly within 20 feet he couldn't get enough steam up to make a charge, which halved his threat as long as Peter wasn't distracted. Looking directly across from him he saw Mary Jane still trying to help the woman he saw was trapped by the rubble, and then he noted the creaking of the building, he had to get them out of there before it fell. Somersaulting off the wall into the middle of the road Spidey evaded the wild haymaker thrown by Rhino, cursing now more than ever. With Rhino blinded by rage, a building about to collapse and a reason he had to be nearly inside said building anyway, Peter had an idea.
As the café fell in upon itself, MJ didn't see her life flash before her eyes, only a leviathan in grey, straight into the centre strut of the building, the only thing stopping and immediate blow down instead of the slow break which was taking place around them This meant now that they were both guaranteed to die rather quickly, which would no doubt have happened if the two females weren't pulled with great speed from the blast zone just moment before then rhino was buried in countless tons of NYC. Flying sharply backwards MJ felt a sudden jerking stop, and then processed what had just transpired. The café was fully imploded, The brunette she had been striving to save was laying dazed on the roadside, and Mary Jane herself wasn't in contact with the floor, she was being grasped most firmly by a rough breathing superhero.
"That was closer than I planned" He said, MJ was silent. None of this was sinking in any time soon. Placing her down as if he had realised he was holding an expensive antique he couldn't afford to break, Spiderman stepped back, he hadn't stopped looking at Mary Jane, and besides blushing MJ was almost in shock. Bending down to tend to the woman she had freed from the café, the brunette raised to her feet, shook MJ's hand feverishly and then hobbled off to the open arms of a man whom had fled immediately from the Rhino landing site. Men, dependable as always, MJ though almost out loud, but knew that it was only a gut reaction. A man had just saved both their lives, one that was always there when she needed him. Turning back to him, she wasn't sure how to proceed, what to do or say, there was so much that was on her mind it was blank, overload.
"You okay?" he asked concern genuinely lacing his voice, yet it wasn't devoid of a certain other quality, one shoe couldn't quite put her finger on. Was it anxiety, nervousness maybe?
"Yeah, thanks to you of course. I erm, can you do something for me?" She asked off the bat, she could see him backing away; sirens were becoming faintly audible in the distance.
"Shoot" He replied quickly.
"Could you take me home?" She saw him seem to flinch, "If you don't mind that is?"
Peter was starting to wonder how exactly he had gotten himself into this situation, but there was no way to avoid suspicion and MJ too, he had to do this, and by the bloodless pale cheeks of the redhead he could tell she would be safer if he escorted her home personally. Her hair in disarray, her clothes ripped and she was visibly shaken, yet she had never seemed more beautiful. Maybe it was the fact he had not had this long to look at her in god knows how long, or maybe it was just the self destructive part of his nature tormenting him, which ever it was, holding her too him before he launched skywards pre-swing was breath stealing.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his body was pressed against hers in a way that Peter hoped would make John Jameson sick, because it was having the exact opposite effect on him. MJ seemed to have lot a slight amount of weight, she was toned in all the right places, and voluptuous as ever, he was glad that the night air was cold, but had no time to dwell upon such idiocy, maintaining safe swinging with a passenger was hard enough without admiring her every few seconds. Her high rise was coming up on the left and Peter had to web the corner of a sky scraper from a fair distance to get the full swing release he would need to land on it's roof with MJ in arm.
Screaming as the air rushed through her hair Mary Jane had forgotten what adrenaline was like, and flying vertically up towards her penthouse roof in the strong arms of a familiar stranger was giving her on hell of a rush. Landing softly on his toes, they had only just made it, standing about ten inches in from the edge of her roof. Setting Mary Jane down in front of him Peter stood motionless, his heels resting over the drop back into the streets.
"Are you going to be okay from here?" He asked, trying hard to sound matter of fact, no personal involvement, he was already personally involved…Oh shit, Felicia!
"Yeah I'll be fine, my boyfriend should be home" She said, and was beginning to say something else when she watched in disappointed awe as Spiderman pushed himself off the roof, falling with his arms out like a limp corpse, a couple of dozen feet down twisting in mid air and swinging away with intent. Mary Jane left standing deep in the black sky, battered and bruised, bleeding in the cold clouds of the city. She was about to descend into the white world of warmth and would no doubt be smothered with attention from John, but all this had just confirmed her fear of staying with him, because even after all this, she didn't want to see him. She wanted to go and find Peter, but even he was far from her mind, because something had just occurred to her.
How did he know where I live?
Hope you guys like it! Please review and let me know what you think!