A/N: I take requests for Spider-Man stories! PM me for details!

Spider-Man crouched in the dark tunnel of the Manhattan sewers, his eyes darting from one side to the other. He had followed the Lizard's trail here and now he waited, tensed and ready, his heart beating wildly. In one hand, he clutched the syringe of blue liquid… his attempted cure for the Lizard. It was his only chance… if it didn't work, he had no idea what he would do.

The tunnels branched off in all directions and all that could be heard was the steady trickling of water at the bottom. He had built a web with strands down each tunnel, hoping to feel the vibrations of the Lizard's approach even before his spider-sense picked up on the danger. It had been at least an hour that he had waited, straining for the slightest sound or movement. Afraid that the fragile syringe wouldn't last a desperate struggle, he carefully webbed it to his side, wrapping it tightly enough that it wouldn't break. He needed to keep it safe at all costs. Even if it killed him.

A webline to his right began to waver and he whirled to face that tunnel. Another line, just behind him shook also and he clenched his hands in frustration. The entire web was trembling now and he realized in disgust that hundreds of lizards… real lizards… were skittering along the web towards him. They seemed to be marching in a single direction and he turned back again to the tunnel on his right. A faint sense of danger made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he shivered, involuntarily. This was the tunnel. Slowly, cautiously he crept along the web, hand over hand, scanning the tunnel warily. And suddenly a huge shape loomed out of the darkness as the Lizard leapt at him. It pinned him down to the web, claws sharp as razor blades tearing at his chest and throat.

"You stopped me once," it hissed. "You won't stop me again." Its voice rose and pitched to a roar. "I'm getting stronger every day!"

With a sudden snap, the weblines gave way and the struggling pair plunged into the swirling water, sliding down into the lower section of tunnels. These were completely submerged and Peter writhed desperately to get out of the Lizard's grasp as he swam toward the far end of the tunnel. He tried to shoot a webline in the vain hopes that it would catch something and he could pull himself to safety, but it fell limply and floated away. He made a mental note of that grimly, realizing his webs were useless underwater.

The Lizard was gaining on him fast, being a swift and powerful swimmer. With a last burst of energy, Peter breached the surface of the water, climbing the walls of the tunnel and pushing aside the iron grating. He collapsed on the ground, shivering, pulling up his mask to gasp for air. A sudden explosion rocked the ground around him as the Lizard exploded out of the sewers, chunks of concrete raining down. It was then that Peter realized with a groan of horror that they were in Times Square. Hundreds of people were running, scattering in all directions, screaming in terror.

"You've caused me enough trouble!" the Lizard roared, its eyes blazing until they no longer looked human. "I'll kill you!"

That's very likely, Peter thought wryly as he struggled to his feet, ignoring the blood streaming from his wounds. As he stood, a voice, so far away and yet so close, seemed to call to him. Words he had never heard before… and yet somehow he had heard them hundreds of times. The voice of a woman, a voice full of love, full of pride, full of strength.

"Go get 'em, Tiger."

He smiled underneath his mask, clenching his right hand into a fist as he felt the syringe at his side with his left. It was still unbroken. Those gentle, faint words still echoing in his ears, he turned to face his enemy, showing no signs of fear as he answered the threat lightly.

"Wouldn't count on that if I were you. I'm too young to die… too young and too handsome!"

March 19, 2005

Yesterday was a nightmare. I'd rather die than go through something like that again. I mean… it couldn't have been worse. My world's been turned upside down and I'm afraid it will never go right again.

I must have some sort of a sign on my back that says "BAIT". Maybe "Kidnap Me". I don't know. But my prediction came true. I got kidnapped by the giant sand guy. Also an evil Spider-Man with huge fangs. (No, it wasn't Peter). To be honest, I don't know what it was. But it was pure evil and I was terrified. I'm still terrified… even though I think it's dead now. I think… I hope…

I was leaving work and grabbed a taxi. The driver looked like a normal guy until he turned around and this black slime suddenly covered his face until it made a mask that looked kind of like Spider-Man. My first thought was of the black suit. I still know it must have had something to do with that. Something. Somehow. This monster bared his fangs and he had a huuuuge tongue. And he grabbed me by the throat. I think I passed out 'cause the next thing I knew, the taxi was dangling hundreds of feet above the ground, tangled up in black webbing. There was miles of it, all wrapped up like netting between these skyscrapers. And that freaky black thing was hanging in it and the Sandman was lurking around in the alley. The first thing I thought was "I don't want to die like this."

There were hundreds… maybe thousands of people down there in the street, all watching and screaming. I was so angry at them… they just seemed to be there to gawk and watch me die. There were some rescue workers and police that seemed to attempt a rescue, but they were no match for those monsters. I think some of them might have been killed… I don't know. I couldn't hardly see, I was so high up.

The taxi began to shake and it was like an earthquake… the whole world was spinning and it was falling… falling fast… but it got caught in the webbing again. Everyone started cheering… it sounded like a football game. I didn't know why until suddenly, Peter was there. In his regular red and blue costume. I've never been so glad to see him in my entire life. Or that costume either. And yet, I wished he hadn't come. I knew they were going to kill us… both of us. But he promised he'd get me out of it. That black thing came hurtling straight toward him and knocked the roof clean off the car. Thank goodness that web was in so many layers. He threw Peter from the car and they landed several stories below. That thing actually had the same powers… I didn't think Peter could fight it. I could hardly see what was going on down there, but it looked like the black thing was holding him down. The dump truck just above me (yes, there was a dump truck stuck in the web too. This just gets weirder and weirder.) It started dropping cement blocks and I grabbed one and threw it at the black thing. Hit it in the head. And he and Peter fell again. I couldn't see where Peter had landed. Especially because at that point, the dump truck decided to fall and I jumped out of the taxi and grabbed onto the webs. Terrified? You'd never believe how much. I could hear Peter yelling at me to hold on and, oh boy, did I ever!

Then the Sandman materialized. Sandgiant is more like it. I've never seen anything so enormous in my entire life. It seemed as if all of New York was down there watching, but they scattered like crazy when that thing started growing. I kept slipping and then fell, but landed on another web lower down. Peter was trying to get to me… he almost reached me… but the black thing was after him again.

That's when it got bad. As if it wasn't already. It was, up to that point, the worst few minutes of my entire life. It seemed like an agonizing eternity. I could see Peter land on a beam far below me and the black thing pinned him down with webbing. He really couldn't get up again. I've… I've never seen him helpless like that. It was terrible… terrible. The sandgiant started slamming a fist the size of a wrecking ball onto him, over and over. It sounded like thunder and it shook the ground. I knew it was the end. Peter was going to die and then I was going to die. The taxi was falling and it was going to crush me. I couldn't look at it… it was too terrible knowing exactly when I was going to die. I looked down… and I could see Peter reaching up to me. I think my heart broke again. I just wanted to be at his side… if we were both going to die, I wanted to be with him and not watching him like this. I just hoped it would be over soon. I remembered just being glad that if he was going to die, I would too. The worst part was when the sandgiant hit him harder than ever and his entire body went limp. I thought he was dead.

And then the impossible happened. The Sandgiant's head exploded and he starting roaring… it was the freakiest thing. The Green Goblin had just come out of nowhere. The first thing that crossed my mind was that "I already thought this couldn't get any worse." A third villain was just beyond too much. But then I realized he was trying to help us. He knocked the black thing out of the way and helped Peter stand. I think I was crying with relief. I couldn't believe he was alive. It was such major chaos down there for the next few seconds, I had no idea what was going on. But then the taxi fell. I managed to roll out of the way, but it knocked me down. I couldn't bear to watch the ground zooming in on me, so I just closed my eyes shut and half-hoped my heart would give out and I'd die of fright before I hit the ground. It must have been just a split-second before I actually hit bottom that I could feel Peter's arms around me and I just went limp with relief. It wasn't until that moment that I actually had hope we might make it out alive. Thank God for Harry… Peter wouldn't have been able to catch me if Harry wasn't pulling us both up from his glider.

He set me down on one of the rooftops and he and Harry both went after the sandgiant. I mean… that thing! It was… enormous! But Harry had bombs of some kind and kept throwing at them until the sandgiant exploded into a giant… sandpile. I all but collapsed in relief. For one beautiful moment, I thought it was all over. Peter was standing on a roof just below me and I couldn't wait to get down to him. But I had forgotten about the black thing… and it went after him again. He tied Peter's hands with his webs so he couldn't move and was hitting him in the face with a metal bar. He was going to kill him… he was going to drive that metal bar through his heart… and I couldn't watch anymore. But I did anyway… I needed to know what was going to happen. I almost lost my mind and was going to jump down there, in between them… I knew I couldn't stop that monster. But I'd rather just die with Peter than watch him die and do nothing about it. But Harry was still fighting. The black thing knocked Harry over and grabbed his glider. It was going to stab Peter with it… at the last moment, Harry stepped between them and… and… dear Lord, I can't even write it! It stabbed him through and tossed him off the side of the building. I saw him falling and ran to him. Peter was breaking free of the webs and I could hear him screaming in anger. I knew at that moment that he could handle it.

I found Harry… I wanted to try and get help… but he was dying. I knew it. I stayed with him and held his head as he struggled for breath. He was bleeding all over and his face… the side of his face… it was mangled. I… I don't know what happened… it almost looked like an older wound. I don't think it even happened that night.

Watching Harry… die… was the most painful thing I'd ever seen. He's done an awful lot to hurt me. But he was still my friend and I loved him for it. For old times' sake. For all the fun and laughter we'd shared. He managed to say a few words, even though he could hardly breathe. I'll never forget them.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he whispered. "I didn't want to… I was wrong. You've always been a good friend… a best friend… and I was jealous. But you… you and Peter were meant to be together. I'm sorry. I want you to be happy. Both of you. And remember me… remember me the way I was."

Peter came back at the last moment. He told Harry "We'll get you through this," but Harry just shook his head. Peter met my eyes and I felt our hearts bond again in that moment.

"I should never have hurt you… said those things…" Peter told him.

"None of that matters, Peter. You're my friend." Those were his last words.

"Best friend," Peter added and Harry tried to smile. And the next moment… he was gone.

The sun was rising. The worst night of my life was over. And yet, my heart was broken. Peter and I stayed up there with Harry for a long time… just crying in silence. It's terrible what things can come to. The three of us… best friends… and look what's become of us.

March 20, 2005

Today was Harry's funeral. It rained all day. I feel completely depressed.

I don't know what's going to happen between Peter and I. After Harry died up there, Peter set me down on the ground and left to go back and get his body, without saying a single word. We stood there at the funeral, on opposite sides of the casket. He kept looking at me, but he never said anything. I left without a word and haven't spoken to him since. I want to explain, but I'm afraid to hurt him more. He's grieving so hard over Harry.

So am I. Harry's death has left a hole in my heart. I wish… wish I could have been a better friend to him. It was all so hard. So hard.

I just keep picturing all the fun times we had together… Harry and Peter and I laughing over our science papers in high school. Eating an entire deluxe pizza while watching old adventure movies… and poking fun at Peter for his ridiculously enormous appetite. Harry and I working together in the soup kitchen after 9/11 or goofing off in the mall food court. And then I remember him slamming me up against the wall in my apartment and threatening to kill Peter. How he watched while I broke my heart and Peter's too. And I can see him flying to Peter's aid just in the nick of time, battling those monsters… sacrificing his life for us. And the last thing I can see is the three of us, together for the last time, up on the roof of a skyscraper somewhere in Manhattan. Peter and I both crying while Harry takes his last breath. It haunts me. Over and over.

Will the sun ever shine again?

March 21, 2005

I went back to work today. I'd really have appreciated a two-week vacation at least to recover from the past couple of days. But I don't have a choice.

I felt absolutely dejected. Just… completely downcast. And so, when the boss told me to sing, I chose one that fit my mood just perfectly.

"I'm through with love, I'll never fall again

Said Adieu to love, don't ever call again.

For I must have you or no one

And so I'm through with love.

I've locked my heart, I'll keep my feelings there.

I have stocked my heart with icy frigid air.

And I need to care for no one

And so I'm through with love."

And at that moment, I'm sure my heart stopped beating. Peter was standing there, holding his hand out to me. I stopped mid-song and went to him. Neither of us said a word. He just pulled me close and held me tight and we danced together. Both of us crying. He whispered "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry" over and over again but I couldn't find the words to answer. We didn't need to talk about it. Just being in his arms again… being close to him… I know we can make it through. Someway, somehow. Because we love each other. And nothing can change that.

I don't care what happens. Sure, there's gonna be risks. The past month has more than proved that. But I told him I wanted to face them together. And nothing… nothing will ever be able to tear us apart again.

"I can only handle so much of this at one time," MJ murmured, half-angry with herself as she lay the puzzling little book aside. Her head was aching terribly and her heart was so tied up in knots that she could barely think. Something terribly wrong had happened in her life… had erased her memory… had destroyed everything. She wondered if it could be some sort of amnesia… but her mom had no idea what she was talking about when she had tried to drop hints about what she had found in the diary. And if Peter really loved her and they had been together, wouldn't he be here by now?

Part of her wanted to sit down and devour the entire book in one sitting, but the other part of her wanted to draw it out slowly, to only read little bits at a time and then give herself a break to think it all over. And this was what she had been doing. In a feeble attempt to relax, she curled up on the couch, wrapping herself in a fuzzy blanket, and reaching for the box of cheez-its she had left on the coffee table.

Cheez-its. Peter loved those. The thought shot through her suddenly and she lifted her head, her eyes lighting with hope for a brief moment. She had remembered… something. Even if it was something so small and insignificant. The faint memory of shopping together… of stopping in the snack aisle to add a dozen boxes of cheez-its to the cart… she could hear her own voice saying teasingly "Maybe this is what fuels your cheesy sense of humor, Tiger." She laughed softly at the memory. It was something. It was a tiny step in the right direction. Perhaps… perhaps it would come back.

Picking up the remote, she randomly flipped through channels, not seeing anything that sparked her interest. She paused a moment on the news channel and suddenly froze, her thumb hovering over the channel button. There, on the screen, was Spider-Man. Live footage from the streets of New York. The Lizard had re-emerged from the sewers and the battle that was being enacted before her eyes was the most horrific thing she had ever seen.

Mary Jane had heard but little of the Lizard, having seen his pictures in the paper and shuddered in disgust. The creature looked terrifying. But she didn't press into the matter. She had too much on her mind. She only hoped and prayed that the beast wouldn't get it into his head to kidnap her. There had been entirely too much of that lately.

Now as the dinosaur-like creature raged in the streets, lashing out at the masked hero, she felt glued to the screen. The remote fell, forgotten, to the floor, along with the half-empty box of cheez-its. The frightened girl gripped the arm of the couch, her eyes wide as she watched in growing horror. A screaming crowd, fringed with reporters and tv cameras, had gathered in a wide ring around the hero and the monster, scattering in spots when the battle came too close. Mary Jane had seen Spider-Man in battle many times before. But this was the worst she had ever seen. Because of the crowd, because of the terrible risks of the place where they fought, Spider-Man wasn't dodging the blows the way she knew he could. He was purposely putting himself in the way of the monster, using his body as a shield for the people that stood behind him. The Lizard was practically tearing him to shreds and, at times, seizing his opponent in his enormous claws and slamming him against the sides of buildings… through brick walls, or stomping him to the ground.

Mary Jane buried her face in her hands, wincing at the sounds of the roaring, the screaming, the crashing. She couldn't watch any longer. Until… she heard a unanimous gasp from the watching crowd and lifted her face once again. Spider-Man had pinned the Lizard to the ground, wrapping him in yards of webbing. He seemed to be injecting something into him… and suddenly... unexplainably… the green scaly skin of the monster started to melt away, revealing a human figure. Spider-Man stood shakily, clutching at his bleeding side, and nodded toward the man lying on the ground, as if in respect. She could hear his voice as clearly as if he was standing next to the news microphones.

"Welcome back, Dr. Connors."

The man lay motionless, still secured in the webbing as dozens of policemen surrounded him, approaching cautiously. Spider-Man had vanished.

"He needs help," MJ murmured, rising slowly, her ankle throbbing painfully. Reaching for her crutches, she limped toward the door, willing herself to ignore the pain. Somehow, she felt strength flooding her leg and she moved more quickly, with more confidence, gritting her teeth against the endless aching. For once, she was going to follow her heart. She was going to do exactly what she knew she needed to, regardless of how difficult it would be.