Part 9

"Hey MJ, over here!"

Mary Jane had just finished up a few poses for a photographer in front of a brightly lit neon sign with Tommy Girl displayed in large neon letters when she heard her photographer call her over. Dozens of people slowed down to see her model in front of the red, white, and blue sign while others hurriedly moved around the set up.

For the past hour she had been on her feet and changing between every other shoot. Needing something to fill her time and head, she had begun working as a part-time student model to earn money for college after high school was over. At least that's what she told everyone around her. The real reason she was doing this was to try to get some room to breathe after he died.

"Hey MJ," the photographer called again. "I want you and John here to come together like an excited couple. John, I want you to hold her and lean in close. Alright people, let's get this shoot finished!"

Mary's smile may have radiated happiness but her mind and heart registered the complete opposite. She did as the photographer told her and acted as if she were enormously happy to see her co-model but she just didn't feel like pretending to be caught in the moment with him. She was relieved that neither he nor the photographer caught her momentary hesitation as the two brought their faces close as if to embrace passionately. Bright flashes went off around them as the moment and poses were captured on film.

"Alright you two, that was great. Anyone know what time it is?" Even though the photographer wore numerous pieces of jewelry he lacked a watch.

"Nine forty five," an assistant said.

"Ah, okay. We're ahead of schedule; I have more than enough shots. I say that's a wrap. Good job everyone. John, MJ, my studio tomorrow evening to pick up your checks, pick out your favorite shots, and drop off your clothes from tonight."

"Alright, see ya in the pm playas and playettes," John said as he hurriedly hailed a cab. "Hey Mary, want a ride home? We can split the fare."

Mary had to admit that working with John was a welcome pleasure than working with some of the other male models she had previously. Usually the other guys would hit on her or relentlessly ask her out but John was different. He respected her during and after work. It also helped to know that he was in a committed relationship with his boyfriend Niles, another model.

"No thanks, I'm meeting my mom around ten a few blocks from here."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

After a quick wave, Mary walked off into the crowd and away from the photo shoot. It didn't take long to pick up her jacket and purse from the nearby gear van and put more than a block away between her and her coworkers. This was her biggest gig to date. Since modeling for local businesses she had quickly caught the eye of several high-end agencies and this marked the second time she had worked for Tommy Hilfiger, modeling his new American Girl fall line. It also paid the highest for a student model at five hundred dollars a shoot. Despite the fact that they saw high potential for her as a fashion model she still clung to her dream of becoming a teacher.

As she made her way past the crowd of people she felt herself getting lonely again. She wasn't actually meeting her mother but instead just had to get away from her current gig as quickly as she could. The feeling of being held closely by another reminded her too much of Peter.

The first week after his death was so incredibly hard. She cried every day and night clutching a mask she was in the middle of making for him until she would fall to sleep. School was even harder as everyone knew of them being a couple and even students she didn't know would offer their condolences. If Gwen hadn't been there to support her emotionally she doubted she would have stopped crying at all.

Everywhere she looked, she saw couples enjoying their night out. Hand-in-hand, arm in arm, she wanted what they all had which was taken away from her due to one man's hatred. She wanted Peter back in her arms and if she couldn't be with him then she didn't want to be with anyone else. She didn't want to move on at all.

Wiping off a single tear, she crossed her arms tightly around her and continued walking for the bus stop. She was almost there when a deafening explosion rocked the street and nearly knocked her off balance. People panicked and ran as Mary Jane looked for the cause of the explosion. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of a purple jacket wearing man with silver hair, firing twin blasts from a pair of handheld devices.

"Shocker," she barely said above a whisper. Except for the injured, she was the only one not running away.

Windows shattered along with brick and mortar as Shocker destroyed the front of a jewelry store and proceeded to clear it out. It would take the cops too long to get there and the other so-called Spider-Man was long gone. She just didn't know what to do.

"Get back!" Shocker yelled as he jumped from the destroyed building while firing off a blast. His other hand carried a rather large bag of loot. "Get back or I'll kill the first person I see!"

Slowly backing up, Mary Jane retreated away from the scene. She couldn't help but think that if Peter were still alive than he would have undoubtedly handed Shocker his own butt. Less than a second later, she got a surprise.

With a thud, a figure landed before the purple criminal. She was too far away to see the new guy clearly but could tell he wore a sleeveless gray hoodie with red embroidery and a red long sleeved shirt underneath. Silver bracelet like objects adorned his wrists over the end of each sleeve, reflecting the lights of the overhead Streetlamps.

She couldn't make out what they were saying but knew Shocker was demanding to know who the newcomer was. After a short back and forth banter, Shocker fired a blast only to have it dodged by the hooded man. Blast after blast tore through the night air, but the hoodie wearing man leapt around them, over them and dove beneath them quite easily. Try as he might, Shocker couldn't get a bead on him when Mary Jane noticed his movements were a little familiar. More than a little familiar actually; especially after what she saw next.

As the hooded man leapt over Shocker he extended an arm and shot a silver glossy web line at the criminal, snared one of his hand devices and ripped it out from his grip. Spinning it above his head, the airborne man threw it back at Shocker and destroyed not only it, but his second device as well. The purple criminal reeled from the resulting explosions and didn't have time to recover as the hooded man landed in front of him. This time Mary Jane could hear what they were saying.

"Agh, who, who are you?" Shocker gripped his right hand tightly as it bled from the explosion of his devices. "You're not the other one."

"Oh come on Herman. You should know who I am."

Shocker's eyes grew wide with fear. "Oh no, not you. Please, not you."

"Oh yeah, and you know what comes next."

"No, not the…"

"Splat and slap."

Mary Jane watched in awe as the hooded figure fired a glob of a familiar looking web like substance at Shocker's face to blind him before landing a hard punch to his jaw, knocking him out cold. She continued to watch as he tied him up with more of the substance then shot more out of his wrist mounted devices to hang him from a streetlight for the approaching police.

"Peter?" Mary Jane took a few steps closer, whispering the name of her deceased boyfriend. The movements he made were the same as was the sound of his voice. The fact that he knew who Shocker really was and his splat and slap move only strengthened her suspicions.

As the police sirens grew louder, the hooded individual shot another line from an arm and hoisted himself into the air to swing away.

"Peter!" Mary yelled as she gave chase.

Left behind and hanging from a street lamp, Herman Schultz, a.k.a. the shocker, moaned in pain from a fractured jaw.

"Oh damn," he said. "He's back."

To be concluded