Chapter 22: Sunday, August 24th
The morning of Sunday, August 24th marked the beginning of the end.
In a series of unfortunate events, Peter's momentary happiness had begun to come undone; the loose ends of his life that had been so neatly tucked into place unraveling very slowly at first, then faster as the end approached.
Sunday, August 24th was a day meant for smiles and celebrations. Sunday, August 24th marked the anniversary of the heavens opening up and releasing unto Earth one of their most beloved angels, an angel Peter Parker had fallen hopelessly in love with. Sunday, August 24th was Gwendolyn Stacy's 20th birthday.
Peter had been fighting a fever for the past week. The irony of being nearly bedridden from a mere cold was duly noted as he often joked to himself, in between spoonfuls of cough syrup, how he could fight off genetically mutated super-villains and yet, a simple cold had effectively knocked him onto his ass.
Although Peter and Gwen's father, Captain Stacy, weren't very fond of each other, Gwen's mother adored him. While Gwen put in time at OsCorp or school, Peter would sneak off to Gwen's parent's home in the Upper East Side to discuss her surprise birthday party.
Sensing something was "off" about Peter - she was always very good at reading Peter's thoughts -, she had blurted out at dinner, "I know my birthday is coming up but I don't want anyone making a fuss about it."
Innocently, Peter had blinked in her direction, trying his best to keep from smiling, "Wh-what? Your birthday? It's this month?"
Gwen had laughed, poking her fork in his direction, jabbing it towards him as punctuation to her words, "No parties or gifts, Parker. Got it?" Times had been tough for him and Gwen, barely scratching by on rent some months. Since the disappearance of Spider-Man, Peter had lost a large part of his income from the Daily Bugle. She smiled a gentle smile that stretched up to her deep blue eyes. "You're all I wanted for my birthday and I've already got you so- I don't need anything else."
Oh, but the things Gwen had given him were far too great and invaluable: peace, happiness, stability. Peter wasn't going to let her birthday pass without at least attempting to repay her a portion of the insurmountable debt he owed her; a debt that he would, God willing, spend the rest of his life repaying.
It was Sunday morning. Pinpricks of early morning sunlight danced upon the hardwood floor of Peter and Gwen's bedroom.
"Pete," Gwen's voice cooed into Peter's ear. Groggily, he opened his eyes then rubbed the sleep from them. He felt the slightest brush of velvety soft lips against his cheek. "I'm going to head into OsCorp for an hour or two. Don't forget about my parent's silly birthday lunch at two today."
Just as Gwen had turned and was about to leave him to continue sleeping, Peter's lightning fast reflexes caught her dainty wrist and pulled her to him. Against her weak protests, Peter pulled her back into the bed with him, handling her as gently as a porcelain doll. Amidst pillows and mountains of down comforter, Peter rolled with her, his arms forming a safe cage around her small body. Her protests merged seamlessly into laughter and she continued to laugh until Peter stopped moving and smiled down at her. Somewhere in the tousle, her black headband had been lost, allowing her silken blonde locks to move freely, forming a golden halo around her beautiful face as she laid upon the mattress.
"I love you, Peter Parker." She was confident in her affirmation, utterly unashamed to rip open her chest and expose her beating heart to him. In that moment, Peter's heart swelled with happiness. He smiled down at her for a long pause, relishing in the beauty of the moment.
For years to come, this is how he would remember Gwen Stacy: radiant and brave, beautiful and kind. Utterly hopeful and confident in the future that life had in store for them both. She was all things good and wonderful in this world and had New York still needed Spider-Man, it would be her goodness that he fought for. This moment would be replayed in his mind for all eternity, giving him strength in times of weakness.
"I love you too." How wonderful these words tasted upon Peter's lips. They both began to laugh and Peter pressed his lips against hers, swallowing her laughter, breathing in her soul.
"I have a surprise for you."
"I hate surprises." I wiped the sweat from my brow, slowing my run until I came to a full stop.
From the other end of the phone, Harry scoffed. "Trust me, you're going to love this surprise. Just be home by 9:30, okay?"
The sun was beginning to rise over the ocean, casting a tangerine glow upon the black waves as they crashed against the shore. I promised Harry I would be home by the time he asked then hung up my cell phone. As the call ended, music began to play again through my headphones and I continued my run.
Two hours later, I had finished my run. Just as I had promised, I returned to our home. I knocked the sand from my tennis shoes then opened the sliding porch door and stepped into the living room. The cold AC licked my skin, drying up the droplets of sweat glistening on my skin. Upstairs, I could hear drawers opening and closing.
"Harry?" I called out as I walked up the stairwell, my brow wrinkled in confusion. Harry sat on the edge of the bed while two women pulled articles of clothing from the closet and dresser and shoved them into two open suitcases lying behind Harry on the bed. "What's going on?"
"MJ!" Harry stood, smiling broadly. "I can't tell you yet. Take a shower. We have to leave soon." He pressed his lips hard against mine then pushed me towards the bathroom. "There's some clothes in there for you."
He closed the bathroom door before I could say another word. I stood there for a moment, debating as to whether I should barge back into the bedroom and demand answers but finally, choosing instead to peel my sweaty sports bra and shorts off and take a shower. I showered quickly and when I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body, I noticed the clothes laid upon the vanity. With one hand tucked into the front of my towel to keep it in place, I picked up the ruby red dress Harry had picked out for me.
This wasn't my dress. I took a closer look at the dress, rubbing the fine material between my fingers. Oscar De La Renta. The tags were still attached to the designer label of the dress. I held the dress far from my body, like it was a trash bag and not a six-thousand dollar dress. Harry never bought me things like this – not unless there was a special occasion.
I dropped my towel and slipped into the dress. It hugged my curves like it had been custom fit for my small waist and broad hips. I stared into the mirror and marveled at how the red of the dress competed against the red of my hair, both reds made even more vibrant by the dark tan of my skin. I brushed my hand over the tops of my breasts as they pushed against the dress's deep sweetheart neckline.
"You about ready in there?" Harry spoke through the bathroom door, "We're going to miss our flight!"
Peter and Gwen's mother had been working around the clock to get everything ready. His fever worsened but Peter trudged on. The Stacy home was full of family and childhood friends, some Peter recognized from high school but others he did not. Even Aunt May had agreed to come. She arrived with Gwen's homemade birthday cake in hand. Peter took the cake from her, kissing her on the cheek as he retrieved it from her hands.
"Where's the birthday girl? Did I miss her?" Aunt May looked around, eyes searching the small crowd of people.
"Not yet. She'll be here any minute." Peter led his elderly aunt into the kitchen where Gwen's mother was busy putting together appetizers for the guests. He introduced the two women then left them to discuss the menu items.
As he stood looking over the living room full of chattering guests, his phone began to buzz in his back pocket. He reached back and pulled it free. Harry Osborn.
"Hey, man." He spoke into the phone, plugging his other ear to drown out the background noise.
"Peter!" Harry laughed into the phone, always maniacally cheerful, "We're here!"
"Here?"
"New York, man! We're in New York!"
Peter's heart was torn between sinking to the pit of his stomach and lifting high into the heavens with joy. "But how? I thought you said-"
"I know, I know, I didn't think MJ was going to be able to get out of rehearsals but her director gave them some time off before they start touring." In the distance, Peter could hear Mary Jane's excited cries. "Dude, she's so excited to see Gwen. –MJ, shh, I can't hear Peter– Peter, where you guys at? We're in the car, just got off the plane. "
Gwen's mother ran from the kitchen, waving her arms wildly through the air. "She's on her way!"
Peter had no choice but to tell them the address. "Gwen's parents are throwing her a surprise birthday party. 1734 Blakely Court, Upper East Side. Just tell them you're here for Gwen's party and they'll let you up."
"Great! We'll be there soo-!" Harry's words were drowned out by Mary Jane's squealing before the line went dead.
Any feeling of joy Peter might have felt was quickly stamped out by his darkest fears. What about the darkness? Shriek hadn't told him what the darkness would do if Mary Jane came back, only what would happen if she left.
"Peter!" Captain Stacy barked at Peter as he walked by, "Stop standing there like an oaf and give your aunt a hand with bringing out the food."
Peter shook his head, physically clearing the fears from his mind. "Sure," he grumbled as he followed Captain Stacy into the kitchen to help his aunt and Mrs. Stacy.
Peter had just set the last platter onto the Stacy's dining room table when a hush fell upon the crowd. Someone had just knocked on the front door.
Mrs. Stacy waved her hands in the air then, very comically, tip-toed to the door.
"Who is it?" She called through the closed door, wiping her hands on the apron that hung from her neck.
Clearly not amused, Gwen replied plainly through the door, "It's your daughter, mom. Who else were you expecting?"
A few people giggled behind their palms. Mrs. Stacy winked at the crowd then placed her hand on the door knob and pulled it open. The small crowd of people rushed the door, simultaneously screaming, "Happy Birthday!" Gwen's snowy cheeks flushed pink as a giant smile enveloped her face. She looked around at each of the faces, laughing with each of them. Captain Stacy stepped forward and threw his arms around her, hugging her tight in his arms.
"Thank you, daddy," She appeared so delicately touched by the trouble everyone had gone through for her that her eyes began to glass up with unshed tears. When her father released her, she threw her arms around her mother and squeezed her tight. "Thanks, mom!"
Mrs. Stacy pulled free from her and motioned to Peter as he stood some distance from the small crowd. "Really, it was all Peter's idea."
Gwen stared at him from across the room, her blue eyes warming at the sight of him. Peter walked to her then and before he had the chance to apologize for deliberately acting against her wishes, Gwen stood on her tip-toes and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Peter." Her whisper sent goosebumps down his spine.
"The party has arrived!"
Before Peter could turn to look, he already knew who's lilting voice was calling above the din of party-goers.
"Never late," One of the girls Peter recognized from high school spoke up from the crowd, "Always fashionably late."
"Oh my goodness, that dress!"
"You look amazing!"
"Look at your hair!"
Gwen turned before Peter. Immediately, she began to scream and jump in place – a strange greeting that young women often used when seeing each other after a long interval. "Mary Jane!"
Peter turned. He made eye contact with two pools of emerald green fire. Even as her and Gwen embraced each other, he never lost eye contact. A bolt of electricity ran from those eyes, shocking his entire core. He began to feel dizzy.
"Hey, Pete!" Harry stepped in between Peter and Mary Jane, obscuring their line of eye contact.
Finally, Peter realized he had stopped breathing and he took in a sharp intake of breath.
The morning of Sunday, August 24th marked the beginning of the end.