To All Reviewers: The Trickster sends her apologies for her failure to reply to reviews and send out her next chapter; you may blame my computer. Replies for chapter 7 are coming shortly. Happy reading!

Chapter 8: Follow You Into the Dark, by Otto Octavius

"If Heaven and Hell decide

That they both are satisfied

And illuminate the "no"s on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks

Then I'll follow you into the dark."

Death Cab for Cutie, "Follow You Into the Dark"

The die is cast. I have proposed to May, offering her Rosie's ring. She has accepted.

Just one problem. If Spider-Man is her nephew under his costume, I need to keep him as unaware of the truth about the wedding plans as I can. Unfortunately, the kid is as tied to May's apron strings as a boy can be. I would have to convince May that severing ties from her insolent nephew would actually be good for his state of mind. I have to convince her that disinviting him to the wedding would be good for us as well.

"Where shall the wedding be?" I ask May. "Perhaps on that beautiful island you wrote to me about?"

"Of course, that would be the perfect location," she says. "Out of the way, nice weather, scenic."

"It should be a very small affair," I tell her. "Maybe we should even elope. There would be an aura of danger, of secrecy..."

"I don't know about that," May demurrs. "I think I should invite Peter, if no one else. He's been a son to me. I wouldn't want to go forth with this without his permission."

I shake my head. "I don't think he approves."

"How could he not, Oliver? You're a good man. Peter knows how happy we are with each other. He knows I'm in love."

"Well, he's been the man in your house since your first husband died. Maybe he just wants to protect you," I suggest. "Just explain that to him. Over time, he'll come around. He does obviously love you, and he'll want to see you happy."

"Absolutely. I have to tell Peter that we all loved Ben, but I need to live my life and he would want me to move on. He's a grown man, Oliver. It's well nigh time he separates from me and makes his own life. But Oliver, he's so fragile. I still worry about him."

"He was a son to you. It's perfectly natural for a human mother to feel protective of her offspring long after they need protection. But I do think that he needs to stop shadowing and protecting you. Perhaps he's fragile exactly because you worry about him so much, he sees himself as a weakling. He seems tougher than you think. When he goes out to deal with the real world, he'll actually blossom into the splendid young man you always thought he would be."

"You know, Oliver, I never thought of it that way before. Maybe I am too emotionally attached to him, especially since Ben was murdered. I don't know how I could have managed at Flint Marko's trial without him by my side."

"You're also tougher than you think, May," I tell her. "But you'll have me when you need to. The mother raises her children, then she encourages them to fly out of the nest. It's the natural order of things."

"I know, Oliver. I have to tell Peter that I'll be fine without him. He'll understand. But I'd still like him to be in our wedding. He will be a witness to our vows, and it will make him understand that I don't need him to protect and take care of me anymore."

This entire sordid business is going to be a little harder than I thought. I make my exit to Pier 56, where I make last-minute repairs to the invisibility bracelet. I then go to a nearby tuxedo shop, closed for the night, to pick up a jacket and tie on a "three-pincer discount", and a computer shop for replacement components for the bracelet, paying the same way.

Just another day in the life of Otto Octavius, formerly Doctor Octopus.