Peter Parker

Before she told me what was going on with her, there were about a million different thoughts going through my head about what MJ wanted to tell me. Was she getting harassed at work? Did she not want to go to the college The American Idiots and Carmilla decided on? Did she not want to go to college at all? Did she have some secret family curse that she never told me about? I guess I was preparing myself for whatever she was going to tell me. But, what I wasn't prepared for…

"Peter… I might be getting my memories back."

…was that.

It took me a moment to understand what she was saying. Once it sunk in, I leaned back just a bit as my eye brows raised.

"…You mean… your pre-Spell memories?" I asked. MJ nodded. "I… um… I got questions."

MJ nodded once more. She pulled away from me and grabbed me by the hand. Gently, she tugged my arm. Getting the hint, I let her guide me. She led me to the bed.

"Sit," she told me. And I did just that.

From there, she told me everything – the memory flashes that really began on the night of our first post-Spell date but didn't start to become frequent until the Valentine's Day Dance, Dark Mirror MJ, and her talk with Clea. During this, there was a part of me that was hopeful, happy even. If there was a way for her to get her memories back, then that meant other people close to me could get their memories back as well, like Ned, Betty, whoever was left of The Avengers… perhaps I could add the rest of the X-Men to the list, even though they didn't know me on a personal level before The Spell. Plus, I figured it would be great that I would no longer be alone in cherishing the pre-Spell memories that MJ and I used to share.

However, the hope and happiness I did have took… well, I couldn't even call it the backseat. Perhaps it was the trunk. Wherever those feelings were put, they became the least of my concern when I saw the look of distress on MJ's face.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner," MJ choked out. "I wanted to make sure I knew for sure what was going on, and I didn't want to worry you in case it was nothing, especially since Kraven was gunning for you and…" She paused for a moment to take in a breath. She was frustrated. I wanted to stand up and hug her, but I remained seated. It wasn't lost on me that, whenever MJ and I were alone in this apartment, this place was our safe space to be open with each other. It's not like we weren't open with each other outside of this place. But here in these walls, when it was only the two us, was where we were the most comfortable and willing to air out our emotions and issues. So, I remained quiet, letting her sort out the thoughts in her mind.

"Right now, Peter… I don't know how to feel about this. Even without Mirror Me in the equation, I got conflicting emotions. I don't know how I want this to end. I know there's a part of me that wish I could remember the memories we had together. But there's also a part of me that just wants to move forward and just be happy that we're together." She paused again and took a moment to wipe the tears from her eye eyes with her forearm. Once again, I wanted to hug her. Once again, I remained seated. "…Do understand that?"

"I do," I whispered out.

"…What do you want, Peter?"

I was given pause. I didn't expect that question, and I didn't quite understand what she was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"What do you want? Do you want me to get my memories back?"

I tilted my head briefly. "That's up to you."

She glared at me. "Gee, that's helpful."

I stood up. "What do you want me to say, Em? I'm in the same boat with. Like, right now, a part of me is happy that there's a chance you can get your memories back. But, at the same time, I don't want to push you to do anything you don't want to do, especially since making a decision without including you or anyone else was the reason you're in this position in the first place."

She raised her eyebrows. "I don't think I got much of a choice in the matter." She smiled slightly. "And remember, Peter, the fault really lies with Mysterio." She sighed. "Will you still love me if, at the end of all this, I don't get my memories back, or if I decide I don't want my memories back?"

I almost scoffed as I tilted my head. "You already know the answer to that."

"Please, Peter. I need to hear it."

I nodded in understanding. "I'll love you even after I die, Em."

MJ stepped forward and placed a hand on my cheek. "Ditto." She then smirked. "But you're not allowed to die of anything except old age, okay? If you die while doing Spider-Man shit, I'll figure out a way to resurrect you just so I can give you the silent treatment for a month. And if we're sexually active when that happens, I won't put out for two."

I closed my eyes and bowed my head as I laughed a bit. I looked up at her. My face became serious. "I really do love you Em. You do know that, right?"

"I do," she replied. "But don't ever stop telling me that."

"I won't," I assured. "I promise."

She smiled. "Good, because I love you, too, and I promise I won't stop telling you that." She then leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine. The kiss we shared lasted just a moment before she pulled away. "…Can I spend the night?"

I smiled. "Of course."

We went back and watched the rest of the movie. After that, we sat in the kitchen and went through a tub of ice cream, which helped lighten MJ's mood. Once that was done, we both took turns using the bathroom to get ready for bed. At my suggestion, MJ took one of toothbrushes that was still in its packaging and claimed it as her own to use whenever she was over. Then she made a couple of phone calls. She made one to Kitty, asking her to cover for her. She then made one for her parents, telling her that she was staying over at Kitty's. I watched her from bed, waiting for her to be done.

"Yes dad… Trust me, I'm in good hands…" She turned towards me and winked. I smiled, smothering a laugh. "I'll be fine…. I love you, too… Goodnight… Bye."

She hung up the phone and walked over to my nightstand. She placed her phone next to mine before she looked at me. I smiled before I scooted over and lifted up the comforter. She moved and lay down next to me. I let go of the comfort lay down, allowing her to roll over onto the right side of my body. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her.

"Thank you, Peter," she whispered.

"Anytime, MJ," I whispered back.

She didn't say anything else after that as she seemingly drifted off to sleep. I looked up at the ceiling in thought. A part of me wanted to go see Doctor Strange and talk to him about what MJ was going through. However, the rational side of me won out. I didn't want to go behind MJ's back, and if I asked her, I knew she would be dead set against doing anything with Strange. Also, MJ was talking with Clea, who seemed just as capable as Strange in the area of magic. Not wanting to betray MJ's trust or do anything to make things worse for her, I decided the best thing to do was just trust the process.

I turned my head slightly and planted a kiss on her forehead. Whether it was an automatic response or if she was still wasn't fully asleep, I don't know, but she snuggled up even closer to me. I smiled slightly before I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

Life went on as normal. My patrols became more frequent, but, under Kitty's orders, we were all still patrolling in pairs. She set everything up where everyone had a different partner every day. She kept Wednesday as a free day. So, all of us decided to hit up the movies. Well, most of us did. MJ stayed home. She said she needed a mental break. Betty and Ned figured she needed a break from studying. While I believed she needed a mental break, I had feeling it wasn't school related. So, it was me, Ned, Betty, Kitty, Craig, Carmilla, and Joanna. After some discussion, we settled on a movie called Beastmorphers. We ended up being the only ones watching that movie, and for good reason. We spent half the time mocking it.

"Yeah, that movie was a two-pack of ass," Joanna declared as we all walked out of the theatre.

"I mean," Craig began. "It wasn't good, but I've seen worse."

"I'd hate to see what you consider worse," Carmilla deadpanned. "They basically ripped off Animorphs and barely changed the names to avoid a lawsuit."

"The CGI was horrible," Kitty grumbled.

"I'm pretty sure the Yeerks… I'm sorry… 'The Skreey' were just stock photos of giant slugs," Betty chimed in.

"They made every single character a whole stereotype," I added.

"Yeah, the movie was just trash," Ned concluded.

"We could've gone with the romance flick," Craig pointed out.

"Nope!" Kitty, Joanna, and I replied at the same time.

"Look, I'm all for a good romance flick as much as the next person, but I'm a bit touch-starved since Scott went to Haiti," Joanna explained. "And I'd rather not be reminded about how lonely I am.

"MJ's not here," I pointed out.

"And I'd rather not feel even more like a spare wheel than I already do," Kitty added.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Betty shake her head. "Oh Kitty, we need to hook you up with somebody," she said. "I can help you with that, if you want."

Kitty scoffed. "No offense, but I'm already staring at the beginning of my twenties this year. High Schoolers are a no-go."

"Well what about the bartender at the bar I met Jessica at?"

Before Kitty could answer, I heard the sound of something vibrating. Kitty came to a stop and pulled out her cellphone. The rest of us came to a stop as she looked down at the screen. She looked at us. "It's Buford." After that, she answered the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hello." She raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm not at home. I'm out." She paused once more. She looked around at all of us. "No, I'm not alone. I'm with Craig, Carmilla, Joanna, Peter… Ned and Betty, too. What's up?" Her eyebrows went up. "Like, right now?" She looked at all of us with a look of worry. "Okay, we'll meet you there. See you soon." She hung up the phone. She took a breath. "Okay guys, we're going to have to cancel dinner plans. Buford wants to meet us at The Bunker."

Craig tilted his head. "Why?" he asked.

"He said he'll explain when we get there." Kitty looked around at all of us. "Let's get going."

We ended up at the bunker after about thirty minutes. Buford was outside, leaning against a red Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. I couldn't help but notice the license plate – it said B16P161.

"Thanks for meeting me here," Buford in earnest. "I didn't mean to interrupt all y'all's night, but we got an emergency on our hands."

"Let me guess, your go-to clothing store was all sold out of All Lives Matter sunglasses?" Joanna deadpanned. Craig actually snickered as Buford glared at Joanna.

"Oh, ha-ha." He took in a breath. "Let's go inside first."

That's exactly what we did. Once we were in the lower level of The Bunker, we all gathered near and around the table.

"So, what's the situation, Buford?" Kitty asked.

"The NYPD got a shit storm on their hands," Buford said. "New York is about to be in a state of emergency soon. I'm talking lockdowns and all."

Kitty tilted her head. "And why is that?"

Buford sighed. "We got an emergency call from Rikers Island. Every inmate single inmate there is missing."

Craig, who was taking up a spot on the nearest wall, stood up from it. "I beg your pardon," he said as he leaned forward and raised his eyebrows.

"That was my reaction, too!" Buford shook his head. "I thought they were exaggerating. But when Misty and I, along with the rest of the police who responded, got there, every damn cell was empty! You would have thought the place got converted into a museum! What makes it worse is that, so far, there ain't a single clue as to how they ended up escaping!"

"…That's… That's not good," Betty uttered she looked down towards the table.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," Kitty whispered out. "I guess we have to keep an eye out." She looked around at all of us. "We're going to be patrolling as early as possible tomorrow. We'll wait for an official announcement to see what the mayor of New York says. We'll respond accordingly. But, for now, we're going home. Take whatever time you need to prepare, then get some sleep. Is that understood?"

"Heard," Joanna replied.

"Understood," Carmilla said.

"Loud and clear," Craig responded.

"Yes ma'am," I added. I then took a moment to look at Ned and Betty. After that, I looked at Carmilla. "Hey, Millie, do you have any safe houses available to use?"

"Yeah, I do, Pete," Carmilla replied. "Why you ask?"

"Do you think you can harbor Ned, Betty, and MJ?"

"Dude," Ned cut in. I looked at him. "What about our parents?"

"I'm a SHIELD agent, Ned," Carmilla reminded. "All I have to do is come up with some official sounding excuse." She looked at me. "I got you, Peter. I'll take them to Yonkers."

"Why there?" Betty asked.

"Because I don't want to be too far removed from the action in case I'm needed." We all looked at Carmilla in confusion. "I'm going to be there with you so I can protect you guys in case something happens, but also be on standby in case Kitty needs me." She looked over at Kitty. "That is, if it's okay with you."

"That's not a bad idea," Kitty said. "You have my permission."

"You know, I thought things were going a bit too easy after Peter and I turned Kraven into a pack," Craig grumbled. "So, this is good news, because I really, absolutely, did not want a break from the B.S. Not, at, all."

"It'll work out," Kitty assured. "This meeting is over. Carmilla, take Craig's SUV. Take Ned and Betty with you and give their folks an alibi. Then pick up MJ, give her parents an alibi as well, and take her, Ned, and Betty to the safe house. Take whatever weapons and gadgets you think you might need to keep them safe and be ready for my command."

"Will do," Carmilla said. She looked over at Craig. "Keys, please."

"Not a scratch, okay?" Craig jested as he pulled out his keys and held them out for Carmilla. Carmilla walked over and grabbed the keys. But as she pulled them away, Craig held on to him. Carmilla looked at him with a look of confusion. He gave her a serious expression. "Be careful, love."

Carmilla smiled slightly. "You know I will, All-American."

Craig nodded. He then leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead before he let go of his keys. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile slightly at the moment between them. Carmilla smiled slightly before she looked over at Ned and Betty. "Let's go, guys."

Ned and Betty stood up. They both looked at me. I nodded, encouraging them to go on ahead. They nodded back before they left with Carmilla. I leaned back in my seat and sighed.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.