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.

Apologies: I've been absent quite a while haven't I? I'm not sure if I'll continue or not, I suppose I'm just testing the water here, I'm kinda busy and I don't even feel like the same person I was this time last year, I want to know if I can still write as well when I'm not thinking the same way. Thank you for prompting for me sma, your last review prompted me to at least try to continue.

Mary Jane sat in her dressing room, her freshly painted nail scratching over the crack in the bottom corner of her bulb stricken mirror. Clichéd, and aged with it, the entire theatre had an air of abandoned grace, something MJ was beginning to find nostalgic. It reminded her of when she first started acting, her first plays, her first words on stage, the shake in the back of her throat that hadn't been vanquished yet. This theatre seemed to echo her memories of a past forgotten, for the theatre it was a mixed blessing, people loved things that bring back memories. Mary Jane however was not so keen, all it managed to evoke was a childhood best left out of mind, a mistakes best left unsaid. Of all her prior gains and loses, she had found herself, but lost him. She didn't rely on him, she was independent and far from the pity of others, but that simple pro-single attitude speech had been used on her and fallen straight through her, the words so light and meaningless they had no impact, fading away with the breathes between their utterance.

She wasn't naïve enough to think she was the only woman to her fall for someone so deeply she hadn't hit the bottom, even after so many years. Why then, do so many just lash out then? If women don't need a man in their lives are they blessed, or merely trying to convince themselves that the 'him' in their past wasn't the world, or maybe they really weren't. It would be shallow to think that every guy was like Peter, she knew that from experience, maybe because she had met him, she couldn't fathom the entirety of the prior argument, one man in her mind had already negated her acceptance of being alone.

It would never be as good as being with him.

This was why she didn't want to give up on him, she had made mistakes, she had been weak and forgotten how to stand tall, and she knew it was this that had hindered her during her chase of his heart. Complacency. Simply put it forced her eyes to glaze over, she couldn't believe what she had done. Mary Jane, the girl who prided herself upon being a fighter, had battled relentlessly out of her home, through school and college and into fame, but then she stopped. She thought she had fought enough, be it subconsciously or otherwise, she had stopped to admire her success and fallen prey to its fleeting embrace. Peter had always been one step ahead, she wanted to go back in time and kick herself for ever stopping, allowing him to increase the distance between them. She had fallen behind, and it came just as she had finally caught up with him.

Another actress brushed past Mary Jane, her warn costume dancing across the back of her neck and breaking the thoughtful woman's meanderings. Remembering where she was Mary Jane had to concentrate on the performance, it was opening night and she couldn't afford to mess up after so long in rehearsals. Felicia was out there with her mystery man too, and MJ was intrigued, the picture she had in her mind was of a 6'3 brick-jawed guy with short hair, built like a tank but with a nice attitude and not too much of an ego, after all Felicia loved a looker, but couldn't stand a guy who knew it. All would be revealed soon enough, it was only 10 minutes until the show started, and then another 5 before her grand entrance into the opening scene of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'.

Peter's tie did not seem to want to go on, in fact he was beginning to see it almost blatantly refusing to encompass his neck, this however was because he couldn't concentrate. Stood pressed against his back was Felicia, adorned in a long elegant black dress, her hands ever so slowly slipping his belt into place.

"What's up Pete? Having a hard time?" She whispered over his shoulder, her breath faintly lingering on the back of his ear. She was wondering if she should just tell MJ she was ill and skip her opening night, but at the same time she wanted to show Peter off to her friend, keeping him tied down… maybe literally, was made even more fun if people knew just how amazing this guy was. Its like having a flashy car, you buy it for yourself because you love it, but you can't wait to see people looking at you driving it.

"There we go, I did it, aren't you proud?" Peter smirked, straightening it in the mirror he was stood in front of.

"My big boy did his own tie, they grow up so fast" She faked a wistful thought filled face and tone, feeling Peter's hand run down her hip her smile darkened a fraction.

"Ready to go?" He asked turning around tightly so they were mere inches from each other's face, her eyes sparkled around the soft caress of placed blonde waves.

"I thought you'd never ask" She smiled, her arm out, he took it with his own, and off they went to the theatre, to a play which Peter had never heard of, but it sounded ever so vaguly familiar.

"You know we're late already don't you?" Peter asked as he shut the door of Felicia's flat behind them, "I don't have much luck getting into late performances"

"Oh it's okay, I know the lead, and we're VIP's for the night Pete! I'll see you right" She smiled broadly, like she had an evil scheme she had not yet unleashed upon the unsuspecting world, unsuspecting all except Peter Parker anyway.

"This isn't how things were meant to happen!" bellowed a tall thin man from the stage, his character's plot had been foiled within the first 30 minutes of the play, by MJ's character, also his ex-lover. The plot revolved around their fragile relationship being on other sides of a morality line, and his eventual suicide. Not exactly uplifting stuff but it was gritty with excellent character definition, or at least that's what the producer had called it.

Mary Jane was stood in wing waiting on her next entrance, her glass of water empty. The two front left seats that Felicia had gotten the tickets for were empty. Maybe she wasn't coming? That would be a massive disappointment, especially as the reception the play was getting already was amazing. She heard her cue to start towards the stage, and as she was going she heard a radio next to her crackle, she paused and listened in for a second. Placing her glass down on a table next to the stage director she overheard that the two late front row seats had been admitted via the side entrance to reduce interruption. It must be Felicia and her partner in crime; MJ smiled, at last she would get to see why the blonde was always so happy. If this was going so well tonight there was no reason not to invite Peter to a show, this wasn't another advert or anything she though wouldn't showcase her talent in a good light for him.

Setting off again Mary Jane neared the stage and stopped 2 steps back from the left side, waiting for the line she was replying to upon entry into the narrative again. She could hear the door just on the other side of the curtain open, good, Felicia was just coming in as Mary Jane was storming in to the scene.

"That bitch thinks she can get away with this" the tall thespian growled loudly, that was Mary Jane's beckoning.

"That bitch knows she will!" she strode out confidently, and her sharp suit seemed a hit with the guys to the right side of the audience she could see, pin stripe, tailored to her thin waist and considerable curves. The man stormed off stage and was replaced by a choir of women in underwear, in the narrative his past conquests, they started their montage and Mary Jane fell to the right side to appear to be thinking of them in real time. When she did she looked over and saw some cleavage with a woman attached, Felicia waved with a high beam of a smile, a little girlish wave setting off her mood.

"Right, where is he then?" Mary Jane nodded at Felicia, smiling back. She saw a suit, and she saw him uoto his neck, which was hidden as he seemed to whisper in the glorious blonde's ear. She smiled and pointed at Mary Jane, and then he sat forwards.

Eyes met, and opened wide in shock, mutually mute.

A bit short I know, but like I said I'm seeing if anyone still cares, including myself lol Lemme know if your still reading or have just found this and want it to continue.