Act 2, Scene 22
Mary-Jane's apartment. We get a good look at it for the first time and it's what we might expect from a young girl who suddenly finds herself with money, fame and a large apartment - practically empty. Only one corner of the apartment looks lived in, and it contains a bed and a wardrobe (clothes are strewn randomly from this). One of the wardrobe doors is open and we see that, as she might have done as a high school girl with her locker door, MJ has plastered the inside of the door with pictures of her and Peter together. There's a window by the bed. It's closed.
Mary-Jane enters the apartment. She's led in by two police officers, one male and one female.
FEMALE OFFICER: Miss, we'll let you know as soon as we know anything. You really can't stay at an incident site. It's for your own good.
Mary-Jane only nods. She looks ashen.
MARY-JANE: You have the address?
MALE OFFICER: We'll call on May Parker's house as often as we can. I doubt she's gone far.
FEMALE OFFICER: Get some sleep, sweetheart. Have a nice day.
They excuse themselves and close the door behind them. Mary-Jane stares around the vast expanse of her expensive home with undisguised loathing. She pads to her bed and sits down on it.
The wind ruffles her hair. She glances up and sees that the window by her bed is now open. Eyes wide, she rushes to the window and looks out. Behind her, we see a figure drop nimbly from the ceiling. It's black-clad, but as we watch that changes to blue and red.
SPIDERMAN: (as his mask drains away to reveal Peter's face)See anything you like?
Mary-Jane whirls around.
MARY-JANE: Peter!
In seconds they're in one another's arms.
SPIDERMAN: (between kisses)I kinda broke the phone.
MARY-JANE: (likewise between kisses) Who cares…you're alive...oh thank God...you're alive. I thought you - I thought the Goblin had -
SPIDERMAN: He almost did.
He stops Mary-Jane's kisses with a firm hand.
SPIDERMAN: You have to go, MJ.
MARY-JANE: Go?
SPIDERMAN: I've sent Aunt May to her sisters in Atlanta. I want you out of New York until the Goblin's stopped.
MARY-JANE: Not a chance, tiger!
SPIDERMAN: Good, then you can get pack...what?
MARY-JANE: Leave you to that maniac? Are you crazy? He's already nearly killed you once! I'm not running, Pete. I've faced these things before.
SPIDERMAN: And so far the score stands at Mary-Jane...zero, kidnappings by supervillains...two.
Mary-Jane's eyes flash with anger.
MARY-JANE: How can you say that?
SPIDERMAN: Because it's true? MJ, I have to take the Goblin down. I'm going to have enough to deal with without-
MARY-JANE: Without me? Is that what you're saying?
SPIDERMAN: You think it was easy for me to watch you put in danger?
MARY-JANE: You think it was easy for me to be in that danger? What do you think, I like being kidnapped by maniacs?
SPIDERMAN: I don't believe this. I'm asking you to get out of danger because I love you, can't you understand that?
MARY-JANE: I'm not going to dangle off the nearest bridge wearing a DROP ME sign! You told me this was just someone wearing the Goblin's mask. What makes you so sure he's going to go after me?
SPIDERMAN: (finally snapping)Because it's Harry.
Mary-Jane reacts. We see her eyes widen with shock, and then as her brain catches up, a frown of scepticism surfaces.
MARY-JANE: (bemused) Harry...Harry Osborn? Harry Osborn is the Green Goblin?
SPIDERMAN: I didn't want to tell you.
MARY-JANE: You're actually serious...
SPIDERMAN: (waving his arms in frustration and impatience)What, you think I'm making this up?
MARY-JANE: No...but come on...he's just Harry. Where would he get-
SPIDERMAN: His father.
That one registers on her.
MARY-JANE: He was the one who dropped me?
PETER: I can never see that again, Mary-Jane. I can't.
MARY-JANE: I know. But Harry's my friend...how could I not know something like that about one of my friends?
By way of silent reply, Peter simply quirks his eyebrow and we pan down from his everyman face and neck to the superhero suit from the neck down.
Mary-Jane has the decency to be slightly embarrassed, but that embarrassment quickly gives way to shock.
MARY-JANE: Harry...oh my God. We have to help him, Pete.
SPIDERMAN: I have to stop him. And I can't do that with you here and at risk, MJ.
MARY-JANE: I can't just...you can't think he would do what his father did-
SPIDERMAN: (hotly, and with more than a trace of simmering resentment)He almost beat me to death, or have you forgotten that?
MARY-JANE: You are going to help him, aren't you?
SPIDERMAN: Sure.
MARY-JANE: You're lying. I don't believe this, you're lying...
SPIDERMAN: Hold on a minute here-
MARY-JANE: (shouting) What are you going to do, Pete, when you catch him? Turn him in? Hand him over? Rough him up? Well? What are you going to do?!
SPIDERMAN: Stop him.
MARY-JANE: Kill him?
Spiderman looks away, unable to say it to her. There are tears of disbelief in Mary-Jane's eyes. She runs her hands through her hair and paces up and down, unable to process it all. After a few seconds the silence is too much for Spiderman.
SPIDERMAN: Harry's gone.
His spider-sense sounds and, just like at the Bugle, an explosive device shatters the wall. Spiderman has the jump on it this time though and webs MJ a split-second ahead of the blast, pulling her to him and to safety, shielding her from the impact of the explosion. The Goblin's glider appears.
GOBLIN: Gone? But I'm right here!
Spiderman backs away with MJ behind him. His mask flows up to cover his head, and his suit drains of blue and red to go black once more. MJ notices this, but has more pressing concerns at the moment.
SPIDERMAN: Stay behind me.
MARY-JANE: I have to know if it's true!
GOBLIN: Does this help?
Still hovering about twenty feet in front of them through the hole blown in the side of the building, he reaches up to his helmet and, pressing a release, lifts it away. We see Mary-Jane's reaction as she beholds the revealed face of Harry Osborn.
HARRY: Hey, MJ. Wanna go out for a drink sometime?
For a moment we think MJ might burst into tears, but no - seeing Harry standing there smiling, something in her is pushed too far. She erupts in rage and actually picks up an ornament and flings it at the Goblin. He throws up an arm and bats it away easily.
MARY-JANE: How could you! You son of a bitch!
HARRY: Raincheck, huh? Never mind.
SPIDERMAN: Leave her out of this, Harry.
HARRY: She got herself involved, Pete, or have you forgotten that?
MARY-JANE: He knows? He knows about you?
HARRY: I've known for a long time, MJ - Pete, don't think I don't see that about-to-spring-into-heroic-action stance - but you and Pete together...that was a recent addition. Might say it made the man I am today.
SPIDERMAN: Fascinating as all this is Harry...what's say you and I finish this.
HARRY: (hatred in every syllable)Oh you got it, webhead.
SPIDERMAN: Not here and not now. MJ isn't a part of this. You said it yourself.
HARRY: I said no promises.
SPIDERMAN: You said you were a man. Act like one.
There's a long and dangerous pause. Harry's hand reaches behind his back, as if to grope for one of his pumpkin devices. But the hand stops, hovers...and relaxes.
HARRY: Fine.
SPIDERMAN: Name a time and place and I'll be there.
HARRY: Oh you'll know when the time comes. Believe me, you'll know.
He reaffixes his helmet, dips the glider and it performs a one-eighty. Now the Goblin again, he looks back over his shoulder.
HARRY: Be seeing you, Pete. Oh...and I like the new look.
He flies off, gone in an instant. Spiderman relaxes, obviously relieved at not having to face him with MJ caught in the midst.
SPIDERMAN: Are you ready to go?
He puts a hand on MJ's shoulder as if to comfort her and she pulls away from his touch.
MARY-JANE: I preferred the old one.