Hey, it’s your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man here! Only I’m not actually in the neighborhood currently. I’m in L.A. with my best friend Flash and semi-friend Felicia as I try to win back my ex-wife, Mary Jane. Only there are a few obstacles, like evil cults and an odd supervillain here and there.

But now that we’ve pretty much gotten past all of that, all that’s left is the talk that’ll decide the fate of our marriage…

WELCOME TO SPIDEY-WOOD

Part V

By Tobias Christopher

“I want you to come home,” Peter said, after several minutes of silence. He turned to face Mary Jane’s naked form as he lay next to her. After the events with the cult that had happened earlier, Peter and Mary Jane had spent the night together. The topic of whether or not they would get back together to give their marriage another try was held off the second the two stared into each other’s eyes.

One thing had led to another, and before they could even reach Mary Jane’s apartment, they had made a stop along the way.

“Are you sure that camera’s off?” asked Mary Jane as the two lay in a giant spider-web behind the Hollywood sign. She referred to the security and Internet cameras that allowed viewers to watch the sign online. Peter held up an electronic device as he smiled at her.

“This blocks any cell phone or camera signal within a hundred foot radius,” Peter told her. “I use it for when I have to change in an alley or any place where a camera could be on me. And you didn’t respond to that first thing I said.”

Mary Jane reached over and touched his face. “Peter, I love you, and I do want to come back to New York, but—”

“But?”

“But…” Mary Jane told him as she moved a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. “I’m finally making a name for myself in Hollywood. This movie is going to be a huge blockbuster. I’m already getting offers for other films. I want to see where my career can go here. You know, you could always try living out here.”

“Actually, I did get a job offer out here, but I can’t leave New York,” Peter told her. “I can’t leave Aunt May and my students. Plus there’s not a lot of room for web-slinging out here. Mary Jane, I can’t lose you. Not again.”

Riley gave Felicia a paper that he’d written directions down on. It was after midnight, and Riley was officially eighteen. One second past midnight, the hypnotic implant in his subconscious revealed itself, revealing the location of the larger treasure cache that Walter Hardy had left him.

“This is where it is,” Riley told Felicia. “I don’t know how I know, I just do. Enjoy your treasure.”

“It’s not the treasure I want, I’m pretty set on cash,” Felicia told him. “I just want one item. The rest is yours.”

“But I don’t want it, either,” Riley told her. “Everything I have now? I earned that. By working my ass off for it. I don’t take handouts. And now I don’t even have a family. My guardian was a part of that cult. She wanted me dead, just like the rest of them.”

“Come with me,” Felicia said as she grabbed his arm.

Flash had awaken in a hospital, not knowing how he had gotten there. His injuries were minimal, just a few stitches on his forehead. But there was also no sign of Peter or Felicia. Probably too busy for what they had to come to L.A. for to worry about him. As he was getting discharged from the hospital, Flash stopped a local orderly.

“Where’s the nearest bar?”

Peter had gotten back into his Spider-Man costume, leaving his mask off as he held Mary Jane in his arms. They were sitting on top of the Hollywood sign, just staring into the city.

“This isn’t the end,” Peter said as he kept his arm around her. “We’re going to find a way to make this work. I’ll come and visit you when I get a break from school.”

“And I’ll come to New York in between shoots, or whenever I get time off,” Mary Jane told him as she looked up into his eyes. “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”

“No,” Peter told her as he ran a hand through her hair. “We’re going to be great.”

The two shared a passionate kiss as they sat on top of the world.

Felicia and Riley were sitting in a diner, having coffee after Felicia had waited for the paper to come through the fax at the 24-hour Kinkos that was sitting right next door. Now, she slid that paper in front of him.

“Sign this,” Felicia told him.

“What is it?” Riley asked as he looked down at the paper.

“Adoption papers,” Felicia replied as she took a drink from her cup. “You want a family? Just put your name down there and you’re legally Walter Hardy’s adopted son.”

“But Walter Hardy is dead,” Riley told her. “How—”

“Kid, trust me when I tell you that I had to pull a lot of strings to make this happen,” Felicia replied bluntly. “There are things best left unknown. Sign it, and you’re a part of my family.”

“Why are you doing this?” Riley asked as he looked for a pen. “I thought you didn’t like me?”

“Whatever gave you that opinion?” Felicia asked.

“The first time we met, you wanted to beat me up to find that cache,” Riley replied.

“That was before I got to know you,” Felicia said as she took the young man’s hand. “My dad saw something in you, Riley. That’s why he tried to make sure you had a good life. And besides, a little brother in the entertainment industry might come in handy.”

“I was kind of hoping to retire,” Riley told her. “I always thought there was something bigger out there for me, but now I don’t know. It feels like a huge weight’s been lifted from my shoulders. No one’s trying to kill me, and now I have a family. Am I ever going to see you again?”

“I kind of travel all over,” Felicia told him. “But when I’m back out this way someday, I’ll drop by to check in on you. Just keep yourself out of trouble.”

Flash stared down at the full glass of beer sitting in front of him. He’d been staring at it for twenty minutes, afraid to even touch it. It was so tempting to drink it down, and then order more. But something was stopping him, he just didn’t know what.

He didn’t know where his friends were now, he had a low-paying job, and two teenage boys were probably going to end up separated and put into foster care if he screwed up. Flash looked up as that last thought crossed his mind.

A.J. and Drew. They were stopping him from taking that drink. He had two kids who were counting on him to get them through their dad walking out on them. Drew needed someone to show him that his life was going to get better, and A.J. needed a strong man to help him through his fight with cancer.

“You going to drink or just stare at that glass all night?” the bartender asked. Flash reached into his wallet and paid the tab as he stood up.

“Neither,” Flash told him as he left.

After dropping Mary Jane back off at her apartment, Peter headed back to his hotel room. As he was packing his stuff, he looked at a business card the man at the studio had given him. He was tempted to call the man and at least ask some questions and satisfy his curiosity. As he finished packing, a knock came at the door. Peter answered and was given two notes. One for him and one for Flash. Peter opened his and saw it was from Felicia.

Spider,

I got what I needed from the kid, so I’m taking a flight back to New York to take care of some business before I head off for more business. Feel free to keep the car. You and Flash can decide if you want to keep it or not. I know we’ve had our history, but I sincerely hope you and Red work things out. You deserve to be happy.

See you again soon,

– Felicia

Peter read the note and smiled to himself. He knew he’d be seeing Felicia again, he just hoped she was going to stay out of any real trouble. Although deep down, he knew that Felicia and trouble went together like peanut butter and jelly.

“Great, I made myself hungry,” Peter said as he started thinking about breakfast.

Felicia found the hidden treasure cache upon her return to New York. She looked around at the thousands of dollars worth of stolen treasures, trying to find what she came for. She finally found the locket laying on the ground.

A single tear fell down her face as she looked at the one treasure that worth more to her than anything of real value in the room. As she was about to leave, she saw the note intended for Riley. She picked it up and read it before she laughed a little.

“The old man really did care for the kid,” Felicia said as she put the note in her pocket. She’d mail it to Riley soon just to let the boy know that he did have a loving father in Walter Hardy, and that Riley’s biological father was a fool. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll take care of him. He’s a Hardy now.”

Riley returned to Mary Jane’s apartment early that morning. He tossed his jacket on the chair and kicked off his shoes before crashing on the couch. He realized his cell phone was in his pocket as he pulled it out, ready to toss it to the table before seeing he had a missed message.

Yawning, Riley pushed the button to see the text he’d received. The shock of the text in front of him was enough to make him wide awake with excitement.

“Ho-ly shit!” Riley shouted with excitement as he dropped his phone to go tell Mary Jane the good news if she was home. As the phone hit the floor, the text message was revealed.

Congrats, kid. The studio called. You’re going to be Spider-Man!

“Flash, I am so sorry,” Peter said as he saw the bandaged stitches on Flash’s forehead. The two had met back at the hotel and compared stories of what happened to them. “I should have been out looking for you, I just—”

“The kid came first, I get it,” Flash told him as he put his last bag in the trunk. “You did the right thing, I’m not mad. You’re a good guy, Parker.”

“Here,” Peter said as he handed Flash the note. “Felicia left it for you. She’s already gone.”

Flash looked at the note in his hand for a few seconds as he gave a slight laugh before crumpling the note and tossing it away. “Let’s go home. I want to make sure those kids haven’t trashed my place.”

“You going to be okay?” Peter asked as he got into the driver’s seat. Peter wouldn’t admit to it, but he had walked in on Flash and Felicia that morning in Las Vegas, but left before they had awaken. Peter could see the hurt in Flash’s face as he was told Felicia had already left.

“I’ve got my best bud, a sports car, and two kids waiting for me to pull their asses out of a fire back home,” Flash told him. “Yeah, I’m going to be alright.”

As the car pulled out of the parking lot, the letter left laying on the ground started blowing in the wind, it’s contents never to be known by Flash, including Felicia’s declaration of love and part of the reason she was leaving was because she had to sort out her feelings before seeing him again.

NEXT: Peter and Flash return to the Big Apple! But will they like what they come back to?