Mary Jane woke up in the middle of the night with a start. What had woken her, she didn't know. But she trembled in the darkness as a faint cry seemed to echo in her ears. It was somehow a familiar voice… but a distant one.
"MARY JAAAANE!"
That was it. Just her name. Over and over it echoed in her mind, haunting her. She shook her head to clear it, reaching for her crutches and pulling herself to her feet. She limped across to the balcony doors, hoping to get some fresh air, but something on the coffee table stopped her dead in her tracks. She froze, the blood draining from her face, and she reached out slowly, tentatively, to pick up the little object, turning it over in her hands. A tiny stuffed Spider-Man… just appeared out of nowhere.
"Well," she whispered, staring at it. "Where did you come from? I didn't think I had one of these…" her voice trailed away as she noticed a faint scrawl on the tag. It looked as if someone had written something with a pen, but the words had been washed away and only the imprint remained.
"…with love from MJ" was all that she could make out. The first part was too illegible for her to make it out. She couldn't explain its appearance, and so she didn't even try. She just pressed it close to her heart as she sat down on the couch, reaching for her diary.
March 18, 2006
Our world's been turned upside-down. And I hardly know how it happened.
It was just a normal day. Peter and I were watching TV at home and eating… well, cheez-its, of course. And suddenly a news alert popped up. An urgent alert. An alert about Spider-Man.
"Breaking news!" they said. "Urgent alert about the vigilante and wanted criminal known as Spider-Man. Reliable sources have finally uncovered the identity of the masked menace."
Peter frowned at me, as if he hadn't quite processed what they said. And I don't think I did either. Not at first. Besides, this kind of thing has happened before… and it was way off. Like some pro wrestler or famous actor and they easily disproved the claim. And suddenly they showed a picture of Peter on the TV.
"The man behind the mask is a photographer named Peter Parker."
And just like that, the world fell apart. I think… I think I screamed… and Peter turned to stone. I never heard another word from the tv… and then suddenly, FBI was banging on the door. I don't know how they even got there that fast. They just charged into the room and grabbed Peter and put him in handcuffs… I know he could have easily fought them, I've even seen him break out of handcuffs before, but he didn't resist at all. They told me to follow and they took us up to some kind of police headquarters.
They questioned us both for hours. They searched Peter and, of course, found the suit that he always wears under his clothes… and they saw the slits in his wrists that he shoots webs from… so it was an obvious thing. There's no hiding it now.
They let us go then, because at this point, Peter is only a suspect in the eyes of the court, but said they'd be watching us. They assured us that the charges were not official yet… a lot of investigation needs to still be done. But official or not, they still put an ankle bracelet on him so they can keep track of him. I hate them for doing that. I wish he would just… rip it off… but then we'd be in worse trouble…
As soon as we got out the door, Peter grabbed my hand and just started walking as fast as he could. Staying in the alleys. We went straight to Flash and Betty's instead of going home and here we've crashed for the past two days. Thank God they are understanding! Even though they were shocked beyond belief and it took a couple hours of explaining. Flash says that Peter punching him twenty foot down the hall back in high school finally makes sense now…
They said we could stay as long as we needed to and they wouldn't let anyone other than authorities know we were there. Because, obviously, authorities have to know. But, of course, they've got GPS tracking on Peter now, so I suppose it doesn't even matter. I've been sleeping on the couch and Peter sleeps on the floor… it's not ideal, but why am I complaining about something so stupid?
Betty told us that when J Jonah found out Peter was Spider-Man, he passed out. Literally. He was sitting at his desk and fell over backwards, chair and all, and was out like a light. Man, I'd have given just about anything to see that. Peter is so fired though. I used to think that J Jonah wasn't all that bad… just blowing off steam and all that. But now… he's declared Peter "Public Enemy Number One" and has ramped up public sentiment SO much that it's ten times worse. He's a horrid person. I can't believe I almost married his son.
Our apartment has been constantly surrounded by screaming crowds and police ever since… Peter saw them when he snuck back to get some of our things. We haven't been in contact with Aunt May at all, but I'm sure she knows by now. We need to contact her… soon.
March 19, 2006
Peter called Aunt May last night and now we're at her apartment. We swung over in the dead of night so no one would see us. We had to contact authorities before we left though. Peter thinks it best we stay close to her, just in case anyone tries to target her. Anyway, it got leaked that we were at Flash and Betty's and so it wasn't doing us any good being there. Someone threw a brick through their window yesterday and it would've knocked me out if Peter hadn't snatched it out of midair just in the nick of time.
Poor Aunt May is freaking out and I can tell, even though she seems calm and as solid as a rock. She sat us both down and gave us a good talking to and though it doesn't fix anything, I think she helped us a lot. A little encouragement goes a long way. She told us "You're strong, both of you, and you're going to get through this somehow. The most important thing is that you stay close to each other, love each other, and keep each other strong. And pray hard. We'll make it, I promise." She also told us, sort of as an afterthought, that she's known Peter was Spider-Man since back in 2004. Huh. I wondered. Said she found out when he rescued her from Doc Ock… she knew him by his voice and by the way it felt to have her arms around him when he swung her to the ground. Makes me feel kind of dumb that I went all that time without consciously figuring it out.
Aunt May has a spare bedroom and so we're camped out here. Peter's pacing the ceiling currently and I'm just here in bed pounding away in this dumb diary as if that would help somehow.
Peter says it was the Kingpin that let his identity out. God help me, I hate that man.
March 22, 2006
I was determined to go to work tonight and that was a bad idea. A bad, bad, bad idea. I took a taxi, but Peter insisted on following (as Spider-Man) to make sure I'd be okay. Well, I got there safe enough, but the moment I appeared on stage, things took a major turn for the worst. The audience started screaming at me about Spider-Man… some even threw things… and it got so bad we shut down production a half hour in. When I got backstage, the assistant director started chewing me out and we got into a terrible argument about Spider-Man. He yelled at me and I yelled right back and it got… it got pretty bad. And then he just hauled off and slapped me across the face… so hard I stumbled back, hit the wall, and collapsed. Peter showed up out of absolutely nowhere and lit into the guy so bad that in under a minute, he had a bloody nose, two black eyes, and a split lip. He left him laying there, scooped me up and just ran. When we got outside, he didn't even stop to change into Spider-Man, he just started swinging out of costume… for the first time that I've ever seen. Although he says it's happened a couple of times before.
When we got back to Aunt May's, he was trembling. He told me not to go anywhere at all until he could figure something out. Said something about sending Aunt May and me away and having us change our names. I got really mad at him. Yelled at him, actually, and I hate myself for doing it, but I was so upset I couldn't see straight. I will not leave him. I absolutely refuse. I'm gonna stand by him, no matter what happens. No matter what. I made a vow. "For better or for worse… till death do us part."
Aunt May had come in when we started arguing and she just stood there and stared at us. I broke down and started crying and then Peter just scooped us both up and held on to us like a dying man clinging to his last shred of hope. He said "You're my everything… both of you. You keep my world spinning and my heart beating. If I ever lost either one of you, I don't know how I'd even go on living. I'd rather… just… know that you're safe."
March 24, 2006
The last couple of days have been BAD. New York is practically in the middle of a civil war. There are so many people that love Spider-Man and want to protect him, but it seems like so many more want him gone forever. They… they want him… locked up… or dead.
Peter stays out all night swinging… he won't sleep. He's completely exhausted. And it's not like he's even doing anything, he just swings aimlessly all over the place. And people scream at him and throw things… he's even been shot at a couple of times… but he doesn't seem to care. He hardly even stands up straight anymore… he looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And I don't know what to do.
March 25, 2006
I thought Peter was out earlier and so Aunt May and I were in the kitchen, binge-making cookies, since what else is there to do? Drowning our troubles in chocolate chips and every single episode ever of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Anyway, I walked into our room for some reason and Peter was actually curled up in the corner… crying. He looked up when I walked in and held out his arms to me and just said "Help me, MJ. I can't bear it alone." I held on to him as tight as I could and we cried together until we were too tired to cry anymore.
The FBI has given notice… Peter's gonna be called into trial soon… there's a lot of charges against him. The problem here is that, while there are thousands of people who will testify to being saved by Spider-Man and will stand by him, they're just the regular people. The "plebians", if you will. The courts of law don't care about them. The Kingpin is internationally powerful, with high people in high places. And he isn't the only one working against us. Those are unfortunately the people the courts are going to notice. I'm afraid we're in for a rough ride.
I once thought I loved New York. I hate it now.
March 26, 2006
I finally worked up enough courage to answer the phone when my producer called… he just said I was being fired. Can't work on the show anymore. My Broadway dream is likely dead now. They'll never let me act again.
I told him if I couldn't act, then he couldn't use my play anymore. It's Harry's play anyway, and I have the copyright. He wrote it for me… and no one but me is gonna play that role. So much for that.
April 3, 2006
We can't even do something as simple as shop for groceries now. We tried to stall it out as long as we could… ate every scrap of food in the apartment… and then Peter decided he was gonna go out for groceries. I insisted on going with him.
It was awful. We were followed down the street by dozens of people and the crowd just kept growing. News and tv cameras and all. We could barely get into the store. People were asking questions non-stop… sounded like a press conference. Peter literally ignored them as if they weren't even there… even when they got in his face. Unless they were well-wishers… because a lot of people came to thank him. And he spoke to them. There was one old man who told us with tears in his eyes that he had kept his promise and never told anyone. Peter recognized him from the train, a couple of years back.
When we finally got through the checkout, Peter decided he'd had enough, so he just picked me up along with all the groceries and swung back home. Everyone was screaming and cheering like it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen. I don't care… well-wishers or not, I'm sick of this.
Peter said the only way he can think of getting out of this is getting plastic surgery, changing his name, and moving to another country. I suppose that'd do it alright. But I told him in no uncertain terms that, even if he changes his name, he sure as heck ain't gonna change his face. I just plain won't allow that.
But it sure is a problem. His face is as famous as George Washington's now.
April 4, 2006
As if things couldn't get worse. I should never, ever say that, because fate just hangs around waiting for me to say it and then it just throws stuff in my face like "Here you go! This is worse! Enjoy!"
Peter was out a couple of nights ago and some creeps broke into the apartment. One grabbed Aunt May and the other was going after me. They were trying to drag us out, but I clawed and bit and kicked the crap out of him. Aunt May ended up smashing her favorite vase over the head of one of them and went after the other with her rolling pin.
Peter came in just at the right moment. He actually didn't even wait to come in the normal way, he just shot through the window in a shower of glass and beat the tar out of those idiots. Usually he holds way back when fighting normal humans but… he wasn't really holding back this time. I've never seen him so mad. He hasn't left my side since it happened.
Right now, I'm terrified. I don't even want to think about what this is gonna do to us.
April 5, 2006
We've made international news now. World famous. Ha. Guess this is one way to do it. Peter's been declared "dangerous" and a "hazard to public safety". So he's not allowed to leave the apartment now. None of us are. We're stuck in here until the trial, at least. The only upside to this is that now we have some form of police protection… though I don't put much stock in that. At least they keep the crowds and the news cameras away.
April 6, 2006
Scientists are starting to step forward with theories about how Peter got his powers. I guess they just took it for granted that he wasn't exactly a normal human being… and now that they know he is, they're doubly curious. They've tried and tried to question him, but he won't say a word. He says it's too dangerous for anyone to know where he got those powers. If they figured it out, we could have spider villains all over the place. Of course, there could be heroically minded people too, but it's too much of a risk. The powers are too great.
Here's the scariest part of all. The trial is coming up in a couple of weeks and I've been hearing rumors that they want to lock him up in a lab instead of prison, if he is sentenced. There are even rumors that scientists are trying to develop restraints strong enough to hold him. I think it's true… FBI made him take a physical and they tested his strength. We've got to get out of New York, as soon as possible. Hide somewhere where they never can find us.
I can't believe it. After all he's sacrificed for these people, they want to arrest him and… use him for scientific research? Punish him for daily risking his life for others? He's apparently been charged with vandalism, disturbing the peace, damage to city property, assault, and… several counts of murder. He's never killed anyone. Except Eddie Brock, I guess, but that was an accident. Or rather, it was suicide on Eddie's part, so I take it back. Peter has literally never killed anyone. Unless something happened that he never told me about... but I trust him.
April 7, 2006
We've been moved to a safe house. Although it doesn't really feel safe. It's probably only the next step to prison… or worse. I can't believe things have come to this. Who ever knew that even the Kingpin could have so much power? He's running this entire thing, behind the scenes. And it's terrifying because it's so impossible to deal with. What can Peter even do, now that the entire world knows who he is? His anonymity was his greatest protection. All Peter wants to do right now is get Aunt May and me out of this. He wants to send us away, somewhere where no one knows who we are. But I won't do it. I just won't. I can't. Either we leave together or not at all.
When they moved us here, we found some of those rumors true. They actually did make restraints strong enough for Spider-Man. Used some kind of rare metal called Vibranium. I'd never have believed they could make chains that strong if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. If they do that to him again in my presence, they'll be responsible for the creation of the next supervillain.
