Peter leaned back against his couch, squirming a little at some discomfort that lingered on his left side.

"You know, I would have been fine to go to work today," he complained to his fiancé, who came and sat back down beside him, handing him another cup of herbal tea.

"Yeah, and what would you have said when you walked in there injured for the thousandth time?" M.J. questioned. "Better for them to believe that you just have a weak stomach."

"Okay, fine," Peter conceded, "but you also didn't need to stay all day."

M.J. raised her eyebrows.

"Are you complaining?"

"I'm serious, M.J," he said. "Your new store needs you; you've already missed too much time these last several days taking care of me with May. I'm glad you did, but I'm fine now, really."

His fiancé's face fell a little at that.

"Maybe," she acknowledged, "but even if I believed that you were alright on the outside, I know that, even if you didn't go into the Bugle, you'd just sulk and brood and beat yourself up in your head all day because of what happened. I guess I just figured that you could use the distraction."

"I'd say it's more like reflecting than brooding," Peter defended. M.J. simply shook her head.

"Either way, I know how that head of yours works, Peter Parker," she asserted, "and I know that I'll likely never stop you from doing it, but I'm not giving up without a fight."

Peter smirked.

"Sometimes I don't know who's more stubborn: me or you," he quipped.

His fiancé smiled at him, but before she could answer, there was a knock on his apartment door. Peter started to get up to get it, but M.J. put a hand to his shoulder as she rose from her seat. He got the message and sat back down as she went over, peeking through the center hole in the door. She then seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally opening it, revealing Liz to be on the other side. However, M.J. stepped out the door with her before the woman could really get a word in, leaving Peter alone with his thoughts.

Attempting to distract himself by refocusing on the film "Rear Window" playing on his TV, he couldn't help but catch bits and pieces of the conversation, or at least the tone of it. Liz especially seemed upset, even if she tried to tame herself as she expressed whatever was bothering her. After a little while, M.J. came back in alone, shutting the door behind her. The look of frustration and sadness on her face did not escape Peter's attention.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Mhm," M.J. tried to affirm, though the fact that she wouldn't look at him as she sat back down wasn't so convincing.

"M.J?"

His fiancé, still refusing to look him in the eye, widened her own as she tilted her head slightly, indicating that she at least heard him.

"You know that the whole 'I know what goes on in your head' thing works both ways here, right?" Peter questioned. M.J.'s façade dropped, a brief breath escaping through her nostrils.

"Let's just say that I didn't handle the time you were hurt the best with her," she explained. "I tried to convince her that I wasn't feeling well, but she recognized me on TV as the one in the crowd trying to get you out of there, and I haven't exactly come up with the best excuses any time she's asked about it."

Peter wanted to say something to reassure her, but frankly, he felt at a loss for words. His fiancé could very well be destroying both a friendship and partnership, all because of him. He fiddled with his hands as he contemplated saying what had just come to his mind, trying to determine whether it was a good idea or a terrible one.

"Maybe you should tell her the truth," he finally spat out. M.J. turned to him finally, a look of both surprise and concern on her face.

"Okay, you didn't just say what I think you said, did you?" she questioned.

"You two have been friends for a long time," he said. "I'd hate to see you lose that because of me."

"Peter, no," M.J. reasserted. "Liz and I will be okay, really."

"Sure... for now," Peter reasoned, "but then something else will come up where you'll have to cover for me, then this happens again, and who knows how many more times after that. You deserve better than that, both of you do."

"Are you sure about this?" M.J. asked, "because if I were to tell her, there's no taking it back."

"No," Peter admitted. "I'm never sure about telling someone who I am; I can count on one hand the number of times that I've done it, but I trust you. I trust your judgment, so if you trust her, that's good enough for me."

His fiancé took a moment, letting out a sigh as she appeared to consider it.

"I'll think it over," she said. "Now, can we turn our attention back to the movie?"

"Now who needs the distraction?" Peter teased, earning a teasing bump from M.J.

Later that night, Peter suited up and made his way to Ravencroft, where they were keeping Eddie for at least the short term. The police had told him that he'd be likely to undergo testing for a while to ascertain the true nature of his condition, though Peter had known that really meant something closer to evaluating how high risk of an inmate he would be and where he should be held at. Therefore, his opportunity would likely be limited to learn more, assuming it hadn't passed him by already.

Making his way into the building discreetly, Peter crawled through the ventilation shafts. It took him several minutes of searching across multiple floors, but he eventually found the room he was looking for. Eddie was being held in a containment chamber, the walls surrounding made of a blue energy instead of brick or concrete. He popped open the shaft and dropped to the floor, walking up to the chamber. Eddie was still unconscious, lying on a bed near the corner of the room, hooked up to a few machines.

A couple moments later, a doctor entered the room. He stopped and looked at Peter in the suit for a moment before coming over.

"I've been wandering when you might show up," the man said. "I understand you have a habit of checking up on some of these people."

"How's he doing, doctor?" Peter asked. The doctor sighed, walking up to him and holding out some papers that contained charts and other measurements of Eddie's vitals and other medical information.

"Whatever happened to him when you guys fought, it caused many of Mr. Brock's vital organs and other functions to nearly shut down. His entire body is essentially operating at minimal capacity right now, only enough to keep him alive."

"So, what does that mean?" Peter questioned as he turned to the doctor. "Will he be okay?"

"Frankly, it's too early to tell," the man said. "I mean, I have a theory, but I don't think it's even worth sharing at this point."

"Doc, you're talking to a guy that got his powers because he was bitten by a spider, and a spider made in a laboratory at that," Peter explained. "Nothing is too far-fetched for me. Tell me."

The doctor did not answer right away, appearing to contemplate Peter's response. He then shifted the papers around, bringing up a new one that appeared to display some kind of X-ray results.

"We ran some X-rays and conducted some other tests to try and determine if the creature buried itself inside of him somehow, as you suspected."

"It doesn't look like you found anything though," Peter observed. "How is that possible?"

"We didn't find anything at first," the doctor explained, taking out another piece of paper, "but then we put the results under a microscope, and after finally using the most powerful one we have, we were able to find these."

Peter looked at the paper, recognizing just the smallest black dots on it.

"So, it is inside of him?" Peter asked.

"Yes, but only at the most miniscule level possible. We couldn't find any connections among these pieces to the others though."

"What's your theory then?"

"My honest guess is that the entire thing is still in there, almost like it's in a state of hibernation, maybe even regeneration," the doctor explained. "These dots might be the sections of it that perform some kind of essential functions in conjunction with Mr. Brock's body, which could be why we can see them at this level. I believe that his body is being kept in this state so that the entirety of both of them can spend all their energy regathering their strength after what I can only assume is some kind of separation anxiety."

Peter glanced back at the papers for a moment, soaking in everything he was told.

"Doctor, be honest with me," Peter requested as he handed the papers back to the man. "What are his chances?"

"Frankly, I have no clue," the man said. "We haven't had enough time yet to see the rate at which this thing is regenerating, and that will likely influence when Mr. Brock wakes up, if indeed he does. Again, the regeneration thing is just a theory for now."

Peter, stunned, took a few steps towards the containment chamber. He could only stare at what remained of his friend, the man he considered a brother. What if he never did wake up?

"Thank you doctor," Peter said as he turned to the man briefly before taking his leave.

Her mind made up after a nearly sleepless night wrestling over the matter, Mary Jane turned the key and opened the door to the main store, letting herself in. As she entered, Liz popped out of the back room to see who it was, since it was still too early for any customers to show up. Her face somewhat fell a little when she saw her friend. M.J. approached her.

"We need to talk," she said.

"Okay," her best friend replied, crossing her arms as she kept her tablet in her right hand. "What's going on?"

"Umm..." M.J. stammered, clasping her hands together as she struggled to get the words out. "Okay, first, what I am about to tell you is something you cannot share with anyone for any reason ever, alright?"

"That depends on what it is you're about to tell me," Liz said. It wasn't the response that M.J. had been hoping for, and she fought back against the same questions and worries popping back up in her head again. Still, she struggled to speak, the words coming slowly.

"Peter... he's Spider-Man."

It took a second for Liz's expression to change, probably due to the shock of what M.J. had just told her. After a second though, she let out a breath, shaking her head.

"Of course, it makes so much sense," Liz said. "Even after I saw the footage of you at the scene where he got hurt, I kept telling myself that there was no way, that the odds were ridiculous that, of all the men my best friend could get engaged to in this city, that it would be Spider-Man, but... it's true."

"I know, it's crazy, right?" M.J. replied.

"You getting kidnapped last year, all the times you had to duck out early or excuse yourself for something, all the times you alluded to missed dates, all of that was because of him," Liz reasoned.

"Yep," M.J. said. "Usually, it's either because he needs a quick patch job in his suit or because some first aid in a hard-to-reach spot or something. I practically feel like I could be a nurse by now."

"And to think, there were times when I just thought Peter was into something he shouldn't be, or had gotten involved with the wrong people," Liz said.

"So, you're not mad?" M.J. asked.

"No," Liz assured her. "I mean, obviously what he does is dangerous, and I hate to see my friend get caught up in that, but really, that just makes me selfish. Peter still deserves to be happy, and so do you. I just don't understand why you didn't tell me sooner?"

"Because it wasn't my secret to share, Liz," M.J. explained. "This isn't like when we were in high school, and I told you what I heard someone say next to me in class. This is one of the world's greatest secrets, and it's that way for a reason, and it should always be up to him who he wants to share it with, not me."

"So, he's okay with me knowing?" Liz questioned, her tone one of surprise.

M.J. nodded. "I think he felt bad about how things had been since he got hurt. He knew I'd missed a lot and that I'd had to lie to you about why, so he said I could loop you in. If I'm being honest, I really struggled with whether or not I should, because I knew how small he's always wanted to keep the circle.

"Why tell me now, then?" Liz asked.

"Because, once he put the decision in my hands, I realized that keeping this from you was only going to make things worse between us. There will probably be many more times where I have to duck out or cancel plans because he needs me for something, and I care about you and our friendship too much to let that happen."

"Wow," Liz said. "So, I'm guessing you were out last week because of what happened to him?"

"He was hurt really badly," M.J. confessed. "He almost didn't make it; he was basically in a coma for a while."

"Oh man," Liz said. "M.J, I'm so sorry; I'm sure I wasn't making things any better for you by piling on about work and stuff."

"It's alright, you didn't know," M.J. reassured her.

"I can't imagine how scary that must have been," Liz said.

"It was hard, for sure," M.J. concurred. "I'd never been so scared for him before; I'd never seen him like that."

"I guess he knew what he was fighting for," Liz suggested, offering a smile. "You know, I always knew you were strong, but knowing what I know now... you have to be strong to be with him, to shoulder that kind of life alongside him. You are really a remarkable person, M.J."

"Thanks," M.J. said. "But you know, it takes having them around to be one, if you know what I mean."

"I'm pretty sure we just established how strong Peter is too," Liz said.

"True, but I wasn't talking about him, Liz," M.J. clarified. Her friend offered a sheepish smile in return.

"Thank you," Liz said, "and tell him not to worry, I'll keep my lips sealed."

"Of course," M.J. said, turning to head out. "Oh, one more thing: I'll be at the other store today, but I'll be heading out just a little early. Peter's going to visit Anne today, and I told him I'd be with him for it."

"Why is that?" Liz questioned.

"It's a long story," M.J. replied after a brief hesitation. "I'll have to explain it some other time, but I need to get going."

"Okay," Liz said, offering one more smile. M.J. then closed the door behind her, relieved beyond measure at how well that had gone.

Peter walked up to the door to the Brock home, his fiancé by his side.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" M.J. asked.

"No," Peter answered after a sigh. "But she has a right to know, and I feel like it should come from me."

He then reached over and rang the doorbell. It took a little bit, but soon Anne opened the door for them.

"Hey," she said, seemingly a bit surprised to see them.

"I hope now is a good time," Peter said a bit sheepishly, "or that you're feeling up to a visit."

Anne nodded, opening the door more widely for the two to come in. As Peter made his way through the initial hallway into the main room, it was almost kind of bizarre to see it all put together again. He could still picture the mess the place had been the last time he was here, with glass spread all over the place, furniture overturned and even the hole in the wall.

"It must be nice to finally be able to be home," M.J. spoke up as they came into the living room.

"It is," Anne nodded, "and nice to be able to talk at least a little, thanks to some serious painkillers. I will warn you that I still can't say too much though."

Peter nodded.

"Look," Anne spoke up, "do you guys know anything about what's going on with Eddie? My parents and I tried to reach him repeatedly before they took me home, but we haven't been able to get ahold of him. I tried calling the Bugle too, but no one would talk to me."

"Yeah, that's kind of because of me," Peter replied as he and M.J. took a seat on the couch, with Anne sitting across from them in another chair. "As Eddie's friend, I thought it would be more appropriate coming from me."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Please tell me that he's okay at least? He... he and my dad got into it a little bit the last time I saw him, but I just want him to know that we've all moved past it."

Peter swallowed nervously; nothing Anne was saying was making this any easier for him. He could feel M.J. rub his leg gently, trying to reassure him.

"I, um... I talked to Spider-Man recently," he said. "I don't know how much you've heard about that creature that he fought the other day?"

Anne simply nodded, her eyes looking desperate and less hopeful than before. She's loosely rubbed her cheek, clearly having talked already more than she'd intended.

"Well... the person inside that thing was Eddie."

Peter's heart began to break as Anne's expression subtly changed. It was as if her face was conveying how her own heart was slowly breaking.

"What?"

"It wasn't all his fault," Peter added. "He was bonded to a parasitic creature that feeds on anger and adrenaline, at least that's how I understand it."

"He wasn't himself, Anne," M.J. explained, trying to interject. By now though, tears were already welling up in Anne's eyes, her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my... he was the one who killed all those people?"

Peter could feel his lower lip threatening to quiver, only barely managing to reign himself in.

"Yes."

Anne's eyes widened as they ventured around, her brain clearly struggling to process the revelation that her husband had become a serial killer.

"W-where is he now?" she stammered.

"Spider-Man assured me that he's somewhere that is giving him the best care possible," Peter explained, "but he's... the creature tried to separate from him, and it caused a bad reaction. He's in a coma."

That news finally broke Anne, who buried her face in her hands and began to sob. M.J. rushed over immediately taking the woman in arms and offering her a hug. Peter came over as well, putting his hand on her opposite shoulder. None of this truly seemed to console her though as the woman continued to bitterly weep over what had happened to the man she loved.

All because Peter couldn't save him.

Thank you again to all who've been following and supporting this story. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but just know that I really appreciate you all!

Continuing to pray for you; stay safe and healthy!

"Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs." Proverbs 10:12