Part 2
Category: Max/Liz & Peter/MJ
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: This story takes place after ‘Smoke And Mirrors’, my first Spider-Man fanfic. All you really need to know is that Mary Jane now knows Peter’s secret ID, and there is this mysterious killer loose in NYC whose identity is still a mystery.
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson got off the bus in Forest Hills, only a few blocks away from his Aunt May’s house. True, he could have web-swung there in half the time, but he preferred to leave that to when he was ‘at work’. He still wasn’t exactly comfortable with Mary Jane knowing his secret, so the bus was preferable.
“You want to stop in and see your parents?” Peter asked, as they walked down the street. “They still live next door, right?”
She shook her head.
“The last time I talked to dad wasn’t exactly pleasant,” she replied bitterly. “I’d rather just ignore him for the time being, ok?”
“Fair enough,” he told her.
Peter didn’t know Phillip Watson that well. The few times they had seen each other, the older man simply looked at him with disdain in his eyes. But the way he spoke to Mary Jane convinced Peter that there was nothing redeemable in him at all. Just an angry, selfish, bitter old man.
In some strange way, it made Peter feel lucky. He had been too young to remember his own parents, but Aunt May and Uncle Ben had always treated him with more respect and love than he thought he deserved. Even though they never had much money, they scrimped and saved so that they could buy him a microscope for his twelfth birthday. He couldn’t have asked for better ‘parents’ in a million years.
“Ok, I need you to remember something, MJ!” Peter told her, as they approached the door. “Aunt May doesn’t have any idea about Spider-Man, so be careful what you say around her.”
“She doesn’t?” she asked. “That’s weird. You never told her?”
Peter shook his head.
“I don’t think she could handle it,” he sighed. “She’s always worried about me. I think the shock might kill her.”
Mary Jane shook her head, understanding. With that, they knocked on the door.
A moment later, Aunt May answered.
“Madonna?” Peter gasped jokingly. “Aunt May didn’t say you’d be over for dinner!”
“Oh Peter…!” May laughed, giving her nephew a big hug. “You’re such a kidder! Mary Jane…this is a surprise.”
“Hi May!” she greeted the elderly woman with a smile. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Oh, not at all, dear!” May assured her. “As a matter of fact, tonight is starting to feel like one of those parties we used to have when we were younger. There’s someone I want you to meet…”
Peter and Mary Jane followed her into the kitchen.
“What?” Peter asked. “Have you got Harrison Ford over for tea?”
Peter froze, as he saw a familiar face in the kitchen. Slowly, a smile formed on his face.
“Oh…my…god…” he whispered. “Liz?”
Liz Parker squealed, and ran up to him excitedly. She leapt in his arms, where he spun her around in a circle.
“PETER!” she exclaimed. “Oh wow…it’s so good to see you!”
The two of them start to laugh, as the others look on. Mary Jane then noticed a group of people sitting at the kitchen table. Two blonde women…one was tall and statuesque, while the other was slightly shorter and more ‘plain’ looking. Then there were three guys. The first one looked like he stepped right out of ‘The Outsiders’, with trimmed brown hair and a brown leather jacket. The one next to him was a little quiet, with flat black hair, and dark eyes. The third one hid in the back, obviously trying not to draw any attention to himself. He had a mane of long brown hair, and his eyes screamed ‘attitude’.
Peter finally put Liz down and got a good look at her.
“Wow, you’re changed,” he commented.
“So have you,” she giggled. “What happened to your glasses?”
“Don’t need them anymore,” he replied with a grin.
“Aww!” the blonde girl commented. “We can’t call you four eyes anymore.”
Peter laughed, and turned to her.
“Maria DeLuca, right?” he asked. “Didn’t recognize you without the pigtails.”
That resulted in all three of the guys surprising chuckles. Maria blushed slightly.
“Yeah, that’s me…” she admitted. “When did you change from nerd-boy into dreamboat? Bet that cute little redhead you used to give googly-eyes to would fall all over herself to talk to you now.”
Mary Jane began to laugh, as Peter turned a slight shade of red.
“Would she, now?” MJ asked, as she walked over to Maria “Hi. Mary Jane Watson.”
Maria’s eyes went wide as she remembered where she had heard that name before.
“Err…sorry, Pete!” she apologized.
“Tact has never been your strong point,” the ‘Outsiders’ guy added.
“Someone going to make with the introductions, or am I gonna have to ask for ID?” Peter joked.
“Ok, well Maria you know, obviously…” Liz began. “Loudmouth behind her is Kyle. The guy in the back in Michael. The other girl is Isabel. And…”
Liz bit her lip, hesitating for an instant
“This is Max Evans,” she finished. “My…husband.”
Peter and Aunt May’s mouths hung open in shock.
“Um…hey!” Max greeted them, standing up to shake Peter’s hand.
“Hey,” Peter repeated, attempting to return the handshake.
However, moments before their hands touched, something happened. Peter’s spider-sense began blaring inside his head. The weird sixth-sense that warned him of danger was telling him that, under no circumstances, should he let Max touch him.
Instead, Peter moved over to Liz. Sure, it would seem like he was snubbing his new cousin-in-law, but better safe than sorry.
“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” he told her. “Didn’t you just graduate or something?”
Liz nodded.
“Oh, will the rest of you stop being so pale?” Aunt May suggested. “It just comes as a surprise is all. Congratulations, Elizabeth!”
Aunt May went to hug Liz, then Max in turn. Max looked at her in confusion.
“What’s the matter, Maxwell?” she inquired.
“Sorry,” he stated. “It’s just that Liz’s family hasn’t really approved of me in the past.”
“You mean her father, correct?” she asked. “Well, in my honest opinion, that man is so thick-headed, that it’s a miracle it doesn’t just fall off his neck.”
Everyone started to laugh, except Peter, of course. His eyes went to the back of the room, towards Michael.
Something about that guy bugged him. Maybe it was just natural paranoia, but Peter knew his spider-sense reacted for a reason.
*****
Meanwhile, in the private offices of Harold Osborn…
Gwen had already gone home for the evening, leaving Harry alone to go over some paperwork. In the past several weeks, there had been some unmarked shipments with OsCorp supply trucks. In other words, shipments which not only weren’t authorized by the company, but which also didn’t so much as mention what they were carrying.
This just screamed ‘suspicious’ to Harry. Thoughts quickly went back to his father. There had to be a reason Spider-Man had killed him. Had he been involved in something criminal.
Their last conversation had been quite suspect, as well as his behaviour towards MJ. The thought of his dad involved with something criminal made Harry feel horrible. If it was true, he had to be sure.
Quickly, Harry turned on his intercom.
“Bring the car around!” he ordered. “I’ll be down in five minutes”
Grabbing his coat, Harry quickly formulated a plan. He was going to intercept the most recent ‘mystery shipment’ himself.
Suddenly, he took one look at the phone. Maybe he had better make one call first.
*****
Back at the Parker house, Liz sat in the back yard, staring up at the sky.
“Looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” Peter asked, walking up to her. “You can’t see them that well from the city. I kind of miss it living there.”
“These days it feels like all I ever see are stars,” Liz told him. “It is really good to see you again, Peter.”
“Ditto!” he replied. “Really, though…I am happy for you. A lot of people go through their entire lives without finding someone. That is, if you’re sure about this Max guy?”
“Yeah, I am,” she said with a smile. “More sure than I’ve ever been of anything.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Peter stated. “But what about school? Come on…we were going to do research together, remember?”
Liz smiled at the memory.
“Plans change, though,” she told him. “Some things you can’t control. For the past couple of years, my life has been in constant upheaval. You know how it is?”
“Do I ever?” Peter chuckled. “Lizzy, if you had any idea of the changed I’ve been through the past year, it would blow your mind.”
“Nothing compared to mine,” she challenged, with a knowing smirk.
“Wanna bet?” he laughed.
‘Yeah,’ he thought. ‘How about you wake up and realize you have super powers? Then we’ll see how much of an authority on upheavals you are!’
Not realizing the irony of his thinking, Peter and Liz just stood in silence for a moment.
“I can’t believe Uncle Ben is really dead,” she said sadly. “Did they catch the guy responsible?”
“Yeah,” Peter muttered bitterly. “They caught him…”
‘…only they didn’t!’ he thought. ‘Because the person responsible was me!’
*****
Inside, Kyle kept his eyes on Mary Jane the entire time. She was talking to Maria, and Kyle was completely transfixed on her. Those lips…that hair. She was beautiful.
His attention wasn’t lost on Isabel, who was used to getting those kind of reactions from other people. Seeing Kyle go all drooly over Mary Jane wasn’t something she liked seeing.
“Oh, that’s nothing Maria!” MJ laughed. “I’ve been going for auditions everywhere, and they keep pointing out that I’m not what they want. But I’m not going to dye my hair or anything just because they say so.”
“I can’t wait to get a better look of the city,” Maria stated. “Last time I was here was…a little rushed.”
“Oh, you’ll love it here,” she replied with a grin. “There’s a pizza parlour on every street corner. And you just HAVE to go to Macey’s.”
“Just point the way!” Maria exclaimed.
Isabel rolled her eyes.
Just then, Michael got up from his seat.
“I’m heading out!” he announced. “See you in a while.”
“Where you going?” Max asked him.
“Somewhere,” he said simply.
With that, Michael was out the door.
*****
Outside, Peter saw Michael leave from the other side of the fence.
“Where’s he off to?” he asked.
“Oh, that’s Michael!” Liz exclaimed. “He comes and goes. You learn not to try and understand him.”
“Hmmm…”
Peter contemplated trying to follow him, but then Liz put her hand on his shoulder.
“He’s a good guy, though,” she assured him. “He may act all ‘Urban Cowboy’, but he’s got a good heart. And Maria really loves him.”
Peter raised an eyebrow.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not just talking about him and Maria?” he asked.
Liz bit her lip.
“How do you do that?” she asked. “You can really read people, can’t you?”
“Call it a sixth sense,” Peter joked.
Liz smiled. She knew she couldn’t tell her cousin everything, but at the very least she could confide in him about some things.
“My relationship with Max has always been…unpredictable,” she explained. “Once it past a certain point, I thought things would get easier. That things would calm down, and we’d be able to act like every other couple. But the more we’ve overcome, the harder it gets. You know what I mean?”
“Only too well,” Peter chuckled. “Typical old Parker luck.”
Liz stared at him, confused.
“Typical Parker luck?” she asked. “What does that mean?”
“It’s something Uncle Ben used to say when things went bad,” he told her. “It means that, just when you think things can’t get any worse, they do. Or, conversely, the exact moment you think things are going to get better, something comes along and proves you wrong.”
“Yeah,” Liz sighed. “That sounds like me, all right. Typical old Parker luck?”
“Bingo!” Peter grinned. “I’d like to bring Max into the city tomorrow. You know…get to know him better?”
“Sure, go ahead!” she agreed. “Although, I have to warn you…Max Evans isn’t one for male bonding.”
“That makes two of us,” he replied.
Although, Peter had an ulterior motive. There was a reason why Max set off his spider-sense, and he wanted to find out what it was. He seemed good enough, but he wasn’t about to let Liz put herself in danger.
He’d let too many family members down already.
*****
Captain George Stacy had been a cop all his life. Ever since he graduation from the police academy, he had worked the city beat. Although everyone thought a man of his age should have been behind a desk, George wouldn’t hear of it. This was his city, and he felt that the only way to protect it properly was by being in the middle of it.
“Here’s the place!” his passenger announced.
George turned to Harry Osborn. He reminded him of his father a bit…back when they knew each other a lot better. When Gwen had told him she was working at OsCorp, he almost went into shock. After all, he had spent some time as Norman’s chief of security when the company had just started out. His own daughter working in the same place was somewhat ironic.
Especially since he had learned to hate the place after his falling out with Norman.
Granted Harry didn’t have any similarities beyond the physical with his late father. He actually seemed rather timid, even though he was driven. On the phone, he almost seemed to be pleading for help, rather than requesting it. Norman Osborn would have ordered his services.
Harry, on the other hand, seemed eager to please. Maybe that’s what he was doing…trying to please a ghost.
As Captain Stacy stopped the car, Harry looked up at the ominous building in front of him.
“Let me get this straight,” the older man inquired. “Unidentified cargo is being sent here?”
“And all the other warehouses on that list I gave you,” Harry exclaimed. “I would handle this myself, but I’m not sure whether or not any of this is…”
“Criminal?” George finished for him. “I hate to be the one to break this to you, kid, but it probably is. Several of these addresses here were hit in drug busts in the past week. Spider-Man shut one down just last night.”
Even hearing that name was enough to make Harry’s blood boil. He pushed his personal feelings aside, deciding instead to concentrate on the here and now.
“Drugs?” he asked. “Are you saying my dad was manufacturing drugs?”
“Not necessarily, Harry,” he informed the boy. “It could be an inside job. One of the workers in the lower levels, maybe?”
A sudden rumbling noise passed through, causing both Harry and George to hide behind some boxes. One of the OsCorp trucks passed, pulling up to the warehouse.
“Osborn, I might have to deputize you for this,” Captain Stacy whispered. “Now we know how these kids are transporting this stuff.”
Harry wasn’t listening. He was too focused on the scene in front of him. Crates full of who-knows-what were being pulled off the trucks. HIS trucks. His father’s trucks.
Without thinking, Harry stormed across the yard, straight towards them.
“What the?” Stacy whispered. “Are you crazy?”
“Hold it right there!” Harry ordered, marching up to them. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The truck driver immediately recognized him.
“Mr. Osborn?” he stuttered. “I…what are you doing here?”
“I might ask you the same question!” Harry spat. “What is this?”
He looked in the contents of one of the crates, which had already been opened part-way. Inside were dozens of syringes willed with glowing blue liquid…the exact same that Spider-Man had found the day before.
“You’re fired!” he blurted out. “How dare you try and…”
However, before Harry could continue, one of the younger men grabbed one of the syringes and injected Harry with the contents. Taken off balance, Harry collapsed onto the ground.
“What did you…?” the driver exclaimed, completely horrified.
“Let’s just get out of here!” the kid screamed. “Grab the stuff and let’s…”
“FREEZE!!!”
They all spun around, to see Captain Stacy advancing towards them, holding a gun. They slowly backed away from Harry, still out cold.
“You had better hope he’s all right, punk!” George spat. “Otherwise, you’re going to have manslaughter as well as possession added to your charges.”
Still holding onto his weapon with one hand, he felt Harry’s neck for a pulse with his other. George sighed in relief when he felt one.
But something was wrong. His pulse started to speed up, faster than anything he’d ever felt before.
“What did you do to him?” he muttered. “Harry? Can you hear me? Harry?”
Suddenly, Harry’s eyes snapped open. They glowed a bright, eerie blue…the same as the liquid in the syringe. He opened his mouth, letting a loud, inhuman noise scream out of it.
“Dear god!” Captain Stacy screamed, stumbling back.
Harry swung at him with a fist. It connected, causing him to fly backwards a dozen feet, impacting with a pile of crates. He then leapt at the other two, throwing them into the back of the truck.
Then, with an animalistic howl, the man who was once Harry Osborn ran off into the night.
*****
Unknown to any of them, a shadowy figure watched the entire display from the roof of the warehouse. Nikolas hadn’t been kidding. When that compound came into contact with human DNA, it did something to them. It changed him.
A low chuckle escaped from the man’s lips. Perfect. Everything was going exactly as planned. All that was left to do, now, was wait.