A Couple's Getaway Goes Astray. Finale.
(Treehouse Village, Nighttime)
Under the moonlight, Peter absentmindedly walks across the winding dirt pathway that leads to one of the luxurious treehouses in which he and the girls are temporarily residing. It's late in the night, and the atmosphere is deep and tranquil. The fresh, crisp, cold wind gently blows through the lush leaves of the canopy of trees around him, making the tree branches groan and crackle as well. The only other sounds are the distant calls of birds, chimps, and all the other various animals that call this island home.
All in all, it's a beautiful night for a stroll, and Peter would be enjoying it if his mind wasn't too preoccupied. He had just said goodnight to Elektra Natchios and is hoping the woman actually goes to bed and not out to hunt for Anansi or her real target. He believes she'll behave herself, but the worry is still there, if only because he doesn't know her well enough yet despite numerous stories from Daredevil about the deadly assassin.
'Kinda makes me wonder how and why he's with Squirrel Girl now if Elektra is his type,' he muses before the images of Mary Jane and Felicia enter his mind, 'Then again, my preferences aren't exclusive either.'
Is it maybe the fact that those women are strong that makes them attractive?
He arrives at the bottom of the treehouse's spiral staircase and begins climbing up. All the while, he is hoping that the girls are back, too. A mix of anticipation and dread over what happened today with them washes over him. He doesn't even want to think about what they likely went through, if only because of how horrible his imagination is being to him.
He has been worried over what they are going through, and now he'll have to hear it. If it's anything too bad, he'll hunt down Anansi and give the deity a beating that'll make Elektra seem tame in comparison. 'Then again, with how creative she was in almost attacking me, maybe I'll let her deal with him while I sit back and laugh.'
He knows he won't actually do that because of his hero complex, but still, he would beat the deity down if he hurt the girls.
He arrives at the large double door and notes that the blinds are drawn and the lights are on, which tells him that the girls are awake and are likely waiting for him. He leans against the door but doesn't hear any voices. Now, he is very concerned. It could be that they waited in concern for him, but they know, MJ in particular, waiting up for him to come back doesn't do much except drive them nuts. So it's likely they have to talk to him, and considering how quiet it is, it is something very serious.
So he takes a breath to steel his nerves before he opens the doors. He sees both Sonja and Felicia in the room, with Sonja sitting on the bed with her hands clasped in front of her and Felicia over by the windowsill, her leg hanging off it. The sight before him at least alleviates his concerns over the girls being physically hurt. But the expression on Sonja's face brings that worry back. Whatever happened can't be good.
"Girls?" Peter gently calls out to them.
Felicia whips her head at him in surprise, it seems she didn't hear him come in even though he wasn't trying to be quiet, and Sonja doesn't react at all. The warrior woman keeps her despondent look pointed to the ground. Which greatly concerns Peter.
Felicia swings her legs around back in and walks deeper into the room, "Took you long enough."
"Well, I took the scenic route," he retorts to try and alleviate the tension in the room, "I wanted to see what else this place has to offer. Did you know there is a ski resort on the snowy parts of the mountain? I've never done that, but I'm willing to try anything once."
Felicia gives a small smile, "Mmm, keep that mentality, lover boy," she halfheartedly says before she loses it and gestures to the quiet redhead, "Sonja has something she wants to tell us."
Peter looks at the time-displaced warrior woman in question and, still with her head down, she says, "It's about my past. My origins if you will."
His eyebrows jump up in surprise. He did not expect that. He has been meaning to ask more about her and where she was originally from in her past life, but there was hardly ever a good time. He was hoping to learn more about Sonja during this vacation, but then the whole pirate thing happened, and for some reason, she couldn't come out. Guess things have settled enough for them to be able to talk now.
Sonja takes a moment to compose herself, "My past is not one with fanciful tales," she starts, "I've endured much. But my beginnings are the part that is painful to speak of."
Peter kneels down in front of her and places his hands over hers, "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
She looks at him appreciatively with glistening eyes before she takes a breath and says, "I may not want to, but I need to. Because what I just learned through Gaea…"
"Gaea?" Peter says in surprise and looks at them curiously, "The one who made this island?"
Both nod in confirmation as Felicia speaks, "Yeah, her and Aphrodite were there."
Again, Peter is surprised. "Wow, your day sounds more fun than mine."
"What'd you do?" Felicia asks.
Peter recounted his day to them, "Spent the day with Elektra training my spider sense. She kept triggering it to make me see the various ways she wanted to either hurt me or kill me."
Now Sonja looks up and stares at the man with a bewildered expression, as does Felicia.
Peter gives them an easy smile and nods, "I'm pretty sure we're best friends now."
Felicia scoffs, "I'm sure," she says sarcastically while Sonja rolls her eyes but does smile a little too. Which makes Peter happy to have gotten a small victory.
The redhead takes a deep breath before she says, "There is much to tell you, so I will start at the beginning. When my entire life changed."
Before Sonja can start, she furrows her brow for a moment, which tells him she is conversing with Mary Jane. She then picks up her sword and clasps it with both hands. Next thing they know, some glittering lights come out of the blade and form an ethereal Mary Jane.
Peter stares gobsmacked, brows raised up his hairline, at the image of ghostly girlfriend, "That's… new," he stupidly says before he looks back and forth between the two redheads, "How did-?"
"Gaea informed me," Sonja tells him, "Mary Jane and I were separated, and Gaea told me much, including this power I obtained after destroying Daniel Drumm."
Huh, he was not aware she got power out of that fight. Still having some trouble with this, he steps closer to MJ and examines her closely, "So, does that mean you can possess people now?"
"Yeah." Felicia answers him in their place. Making him look at her and seeing she has a bothered look on her face.
He raises a brow at her expression before looking at MJ questioningly. To which she responds with a cheeky smile. Getting the silent message, he tries not to smile in amusement and says, "What'd you do?"
"Nothing," she says with a shrug, "She came up and wanted to put her hand through my face. I wound up going in her, and that's pretty much it."
He raises a brow at her, "Is that all?"
"Well, I may have voiced how little annoyed I am with her not having chronic back pain," she tells him.
He gives the ethereal model a reprimanding look, "MJ that's-Wait, you don't have back pain?" Peter asks Felicia, genuinely perplexed.
That question seems to have offended Felicia, and she says, "Okay, look. I know I'm a little top-heavy-"
"A little?" The other three occupants dully parrot simultaneously.
She closes her mouth and gives all three a glare. She crosses her arms, unintentionally accentuating her chest, before she says, "Can we get back on topic?"
Peter and MJ share a small laugh at her expense while Sonja just smiles amusingly. Peter then turns his attention to the warrior woman, "Okay, you were saying."
Peter hopes that the atmosphere he made happen helped relax her. Sonja is clearly uncomfortable over speaking of her past. Peter also hopes it's because it's difficult to speak of it because she misses it. But that might be fool's hope.
Sonja still seems hesitant at the moment. Her demeanor does not match the warrior woman he has come to know and deeply care for. He can't say he loves her since he barely knows her, but he does know she is strong and kind, which are qualities that he finds attractive.
'Wow, I do have a type,' he thinks to himself with wry amusement, 'I wonder how that happened.'
He shakes his head minutely and refocuses on the present. Sonja telling them more about her history will be a step in the right direction in their relationship. All the mystery surrounding her past has been an issue he didn't address considering the circumstances surrounding how they got started. But it's also been rather detrimental in developing a closer bond. On his end at least since she has been inside Mary Jane for a long time now.
He sits beside her and gently grabs her hand, "We're here for you, Sonja," he says softly, "Whatever you want to tell us, we're here for you."
He sees Felicia follow his example and sits on the other side of the warrior woman and grabs her other hand. She gives her her own support live smile and he sees from the corner of his eye that Mary Jane is also giving her own supportive look.
She smiles appreciatively at them before she takes a breath and begins to regal them with the tale of her life. She starts with her adventures as Red Sonja. Traveling through the world during the Hyborian age and fighting all sorts of dark forces. She painted quite the picture of her adventures, recounting her battles against monstrous creatures, powerful dark sorcerers, and her acts of heroism to the people, which elated Peter to hear, and she described the sweeping landscapes she traveled through. The green forest and jungles, the harsh desert and snow-covered landscapes, and turbulent oceans.
To say the three listeners' interest is peaked by the thrilling events she is describing is an understatement. They asked the occasional question over what she encountered and what she did. She answered honestly and though Peter was disturbed by some of the things she did, he understood it was a different time and tried not to judge her. He knows she is a good person.
As she continued, she spoke of her encounters with enigmatic beings both benevolent and malevolent. She even mentioned friends and life long bonds she forged with unwavering companions who have stood by her in countless battles.
"Wow," Peter says, amazed by her adventures, "You had a hell of a life."
"I'll say," Mary Jane says as she stands, or rather floats since she is corporeal, near them, "I thought life with you was exciting, Tiger."
The only one devoid of a smile is Sonja. On her face is a look of dejection, "My previous life may have been filled with excitement," she starts as her eyes drop lower, "But it did not start out that way."
Peter's smile leaves as he glances at the other two women in the room, who also have concerned expressions on their faces, before turning their attention to Sonja. What she says next triggers so many dark emotions inside of him that he has a hard time controlling himself.
She talks about her family and what had occurred. About the group of men who killed her family and then proceeded to violate her.
To say it hits Peter hard to hear what this woman had endured in her previous life is an understatement. He never felt so angry in his life. He wants to take Beast's or Reed's time box and travel to the past to find the men who did this and beat them until they're stains on the ground because that seems like the only thing that'll calm him down. At this moment, Peter is breathing hard and feels his blood boiling in righteous anger. His head is pounding, and he can feel his heart beating. He's heard stories like this happen, but to have it actually happen to someone he cares about brings out the darkest part of him.
He feels a callous hand caressing his and looks up at Sonja's face, "I've long move past that," she says assuredly, "I won't say I've forgiven or forgotten those men, but I no longer let what I endured haunt my thoughts. Especially not when they met their end at the end of my blade."
Well, that does make him feel better at least. He takes a moment to compose himself and looks at the other girls. Mary Jane has a troubled expression, clearly unaware of this and concerned for her friend, while Felicia has a haunted look in her eyes. Peter's eyes widen as he remembers the woman's own history with such things. Sonja talking about her past is likely making Felicia relive her own traumatic experience.
Before he can comfort her as well, Mary Jane speaks up, "If you've moved past it, then what did Gaea say that made you bring it up?"
Peter feels Sonja squeeze his hand tightly, making him wince a bit and he since Felicia wince as well, "She revealed the truth to me," Sonja tells them with pain evident in her voice, "She told me that it was not just pure happenstance my life turned out the way it did. The goddess that blessed me with my powers, Scathach, is also the one who orchestrated the circumstances that brought about my existence."
All three of them become shocked by the revelation. Sonja then proceeds to explain how Gaea showed a conversation between Scathach and a dark god named, Erlik, in creating a prophecy that circled around Sonja's existence. The Red Goddess desired a champion, to increase her standing amongst the other gods and so needed to find the right one. Hence her arrangement with Erlik, who is in fact a son of Gaea which is why she knows about this.
Peter is now thinking about asking Thor to help him find these two gods and to ask if he can lend the mortal hero Mjolnir for a day.
But as tempting as it is to give in to those dark thoughts, he knows it's not who he is, 'No matter how much I want it to be at this moment.'
He knows what he should do at this moment, though. He lets go of Sonja's hand and wraps his arms around her, and Felicia follows suit on her other side as well. Both of them hold the warrior woman tightly. Both want to show her how much she means to them and that they will be there for her when she needs them to hold her together.
As they feel the warrior relax, the two pull back as Sonja lets out a sniffle, "Thank you," she softly says, "I… needed to get that out."
With his arm still around her shoulder, Peter gives a reassuring smile, "That's what it means to be in a real relationship. Being and having others there when you need it most."
And he means it, too. He will be there for them no matter what. He's learned from his mistakes and will be better at this.
Sonja nods and takes a breath before she stands and stretches, "Shall we?"
Peter nods and feels himself relax, "Let's," he says and atreches his tense muscles out, "After a day like today, sleep sounds real good."
Even though he doesn't need to sleep as much as the average person does, he enjoys it as much as he can. Especially after draining days like this. Not physically tiring but certainly mentally taxing.
"Who said anything about sleeping?"
Sonja's question makes the other three look at her bewilderingly. The look on her face conveys she is bothered by the suggestion of sleep. Which confuses everyone else.
Peter is especially confused, "But I thought after all this you'd-?"
"What?" She challenges him to continue, "Because I was being open and emotional that I wouldn't feel up to a good rumble in the sheets?"
"…Kinda?" Peter replies uncertainly, "I mean a normal person wouldn't feel up to fooling around after dumping all that baggage."
He's hoping that didn't come out as harsh or mean. He is just confused by her sudden desire to fool around after her revealing more about her dark past.
But it seems that was the wrong thing to say anyway because Sonja gets an aggressive look and steps closer to him until she is inches away from his face, "Listen to me, Peter Parker," she says as she firmly presses a finger on his chest, "I may be a woman, but I am not delicate. I do not falter easily, and when I do, I certainly do not stay down."
He feels back from her. He never once thought that of her. He'd like to voice it, but he gets the feeling she is not done.
She stands straight, and she continues, "More than that since this vacation started, I have remained on the sidelines, as it were, to allow you three to enjoy each other's company and grow closer. Now that that is done, I will be participating more. Starting now."
Peter and Felicia stare at the warrior, perplexed and stunned. Neither one expected this. After a day like theirs, followed by an emotional conversation like the one they had, would have made a normal person look forward to going to bed to simply sleep. Evidently, they forget that Sonja is not a normal person.
Peter glances at the ethereal Mary Jane and sees she has deadpan expression on her face and it is directed at Sonja, "You are exhausting," she says to her fellow redhead.
"That merely means I'll fit well into this relationship," Sonja comments before she reaches around her neck and unclasps the hook of her chainmail bra as she says, "Now, both of you, take off your clothes."
All three of them watch her dragon chainmail fall to the floor. After a beat, both Peter and Felicia begin to quickly remove their clothing.
MJ watches them all with a deadpan expression.
Sonja being exhausting does indeed mean she'll fit well with them.
(Thread Count, Same time)
Anansi, the African spider god, sits at the front desk of his shop, carefully weaving some silk a large spider is giving him into a tapestry. His brows furrow as he concentrates intensely on the task. He has been working since he left Peter and Elektra in that cave. Hours had passed since that. He assumes that by now, they've finished their task, and the assassin is on her way here to have a talk with him. One that will have many threats on his person be uttered. Not that he is worried if only because he will give her what she wants and that will be enough to satiate her anger.
He knew what he was doing when he orchestrated this plan. From the very beginning of the island's creation to the moment that Peter and his lovers leave. It was all planned for him to make sure it was executed. Though he did feel slightly guilty over the manipulations. He is known as a trickster god, but that is more misleading and misinterpretation than anything.
The tinkling of the door's bell interrupts his thoughts and prompts him to look up and see not the deadly assassin but his mother, Gaea, standing at the entrance.
"Mother," he greets her politely before going back to his task, "I assume this isn't just you visiting for the sake of it."
The goddess steps into the shop more before she stops to stand in front of his desk, "You are correct," she says.
Anansi hums as he continues his work without looking up at Gaea. Meanwhile, Gaea looks at her son expectedly. Waiting for him to speak as he continues to weave a tapestry out of the spider silk. Clearly expecting him to answer unasked questions she has but he knows.
After a few more moments of silence, Anansi says, "Do you remember the Great Weaver and Master Weaver?"
Gaea nods, "I do," she answers, before she looks down with a bothered frown on her face. "I never liked it when others interfered or interacted with humans. It completely altered their natural path."
"Their natural path would have resulted in their destruction years ago," Anansi tells her as he pulls on a thread, "I believe it was a result of Oppenheimer's work."
"That was one path," she patiently says.
"That repeatedly happened in other timelines," he retorts, "More so than anything else. Until their path was altered by one of us."
Gaea looks at her son, her face calm and collected, and says, "In that alteration, they are now tied with all of us in decisions regarding reality. Whether they realize it or not."
Anansi finishes his work and looks up at Gaea, "We did not choose this, Mother. And there are many of us who are trying to protect what you created. Is this not your world?"
"Yes, it is," she responds, "But it still does not change the simple fact that humans are too involved with the fate of reality."
Anansi does not say anything. He just stands up and hangs the tapestry on the wall. It's an intricate design of a large red and blue spider surrounded by other animals.
Seeing that her son is quiet now, Gaea decides to broach a different topic. "By the way," she starts, "What you did with Aphrodite was clever."
Anansi's finger twitches, but he keeps his back to her and says, "I saw a way for her to be useful, and I took it. Nothing more."
Gaea gets a kind of smile that says she knows more than he wants her to, "I could have easily created the object you desired. It would not have been too difficult for me."
Anansi turns to look at his mother calmly, "It required an abundance of tantric energy," he tells her as he turns back to look at his design, "She, being the former Olympian Goddess of Love, had more than enough, and she was not using it."
There was a hint of anger and resentment in his tone, but otherwise, he kept his face neutral. Gaea was still able to pick up on it though. She knows her son too well even though she has not spent much time with him. At least by godly standards. From a mortal's sense of time, she spent a lifetime with him. But that is irrelevant here.
She walks closer to her son and questions him, "So it had nothing to do with showing her what it is like to be in love or what it's like to be loved?"
He rolls his eyes back and responds with, "Mother, please."
There is mirth in her eyes. She is enjoying conversing with her son in such a manner. But she does not press more. She knows how stubborn most of, if not all of, her children can be.
Instead, she places a hand on his shoulder and says, "I understand your resentment, Anansi. But do not let that get in the way of what you desire," she lean in closer, "We are gods. But even we are not even exempt from some fundamentals of living."
She walks away without another word and leaves the shop, the bell tinkling her departure, leaving her son to think in silence. He looks back at the tapestry he made before he goes back to his desk and begins to pull more silk thread from the spider.
The bell tinkles once more. He glances up to see Elektra Natchios standing at the entryway.
"Miss Natchios," he greets her warmly, even as she keeps her cold demeanor, "Right on time."
(Next day)
The sun is shining down brightly on a windy and mildly cloudy day, casting golden light on the white sandy beach of the Isle of Gaea and it's reflected on the crystal blue ocean. The beach is alive with activity, people basking in the sun drinking mai tais brought to them by the server chimps while reveling in the magical tropical paradise that is around them. In the distance, the waves are crashing against the shorelines, sending mists of the salty sea into the air.
And a good distance away from the shoreline separate from the other beachgoers, Felicia and Sonja can be seen lounging on some beach chairs. Felicia is wearing a one-piece purple bikini, and Sonja is wearing a white two-piece bikini.
Felicia releases a content sigh, "Now, this is how you enjoy vacation," she says as she closes her eyes and tilts her face up to the sky.
Sonja nods in agreement, "Mmm, it certainly is," she says and then pauses for a moment, "Though not the best way."
Felicia, getting what the redhead is implying, releases an exhausted sigh this time and says, "Your libido is ridiculous."
She certainly proved that last night. She took out the pent-up frustration of being left out for the first two days of their vacation on poor Peter and Felicia. She didn't even let Mary Jane swap at any point because the other redhead would have let them rest.
Sonja chuckles, "I've been trapped inside of Mary Jane for years," she explains, "All the while watching through her eyes as she and Peter were 'going at it' as the saying goes. And I've never had much luck finding proper male partners who can perform the job in my previous life. So I'm taking Peter for all his worth."
And boy, does she.
"Woohoo!" Speaking of their shared beau, his loud shout of enjoyment makes them turn their sights to the ocean where their man is currently riding a large wave.
Peter is having a great time! He's never been surfing, being a native of the bustling city of New York and all, so this is certainly a new experience for him. He can see the appeal of doing this on a regular basis. Skimming across the water at high speeds.
As he approaches the shores, he keeps himself perfectly balanced as he surfs the last few yards of shallow water until he reaches the white sandy beach and skids a few feet to reach a stop.
He kicks his board up and quickly rushes over to where the girls are at, basking in the sun. He pierced the board into the sand shakes the water off himself, "Woo! What a rush."
Felicia squints her eyes at him, "You got a rush from that?" She says with a hint of disbelief in her voice, "You swing around the city and fight criminals every day."
He regards her with a playful, offended look, "What? I'm not allowed to enjoy other ways to get a rush?" he counters.
She shakes her head and goes back to lounging in her seat, "Whatever. Just keep your wet, glistening body away from us. I'd rather not get this one riled up right now.
She is referring to Sonja, who glances at Felicia, "I have some self-control," she says before she flicks her eyes at Peter for a moment and then goes back to relaxing, "I'm good for now. I'll take my frustration out later."
Peter puckers his lips and clicks his tongue, "I am both excited and terrified of the thought."
"Good," Sonja simply says with mirth in her voice.
Peter huffs a soft laugh and shakes his in amusement at the woman. He feels closer to the warrior now since he knows more about her and her past. He discovers she is like an onion, he's got to peel back the layers to get the center. In other words, he has to take his time with her. Can't use a knife and slice right through it, that would damage their relationship, 'And tears involved in both.'
Unbeknownst to him and the ladies, a familiar group of land sharks are heading toward the ocean. The larger ones are bigger than horses, and the smaller ones are about the size of a wiener dog. One of them stops and looks over at them. It tilts it's head curiously for a moment as it sniffs the air in their direction. Its eyes light up in recognition before it rushes over to them.
It catches Peter's attention, and though for a moment he was worried of the approaching quadrupedal sea predator, he quickly recognizes it from their first day on the island, "Hey, it's the little guy from before!" He exclaims with a jovial tone.
Both ladies turn their heads to see the shark come up close to Sonja with an excited glint in its eyes. It halts at the edge of her seat and props itself up on the armchair, its tail wagging enthusiastically like an excited dog.
Sonja raises a brow at the dangerous but adorable little predator, "Well," she starts as she rubs his head affectionately, "You are an interesting creature."
As it leans into her hand more, Peter nods in agreement, "Like a puppy and almost as cute."
It looks at him and lets out a confused, "Mrr?"
The three of them let out some laughs at the adorable little creatures reaction. While the two women focus on the creature, Peter looks around the area to see where the group he remembers the creature separated from the first time. As he looks around, he spots the two familiar figures of Elektra and Hercules walking on the beach, with the large male dragging a dinghy behind him. It is immediately apparent to Peter what is happening.
"Be right back," he says before he strides over to the two Greek people. Once he is close enough, he calls out to them, "Hey, you two! Leaving already?"
Both of them whip their head in his direction before Hercules adopts a scowl on his face, "Not that it is any of your concern, mortal," he says as he drops the dinghy and crosses his arms, "But we accomplished what we set out to do. And I felt it wouldn't do well to try and test Gaea's patience with me. So yes, Elektra and I shall be leaving this island."
Oh, right. Gaea told the guy in charge that if his people ever caught Hercules, they were supposed to kill him along with anyone with him unless Mary Jane was with him. Peter wonders why Gaea didn't just tell Hercules it wasn't about the demigod but about Peter and the girls. Maybe she wanted to spare his ego?
"So Gaea didn't mention anything to you?" Peter inquires.
"I arrived at her temple, but I could not enter it," Hercules informs him, in the same harsh tone he seems to only have with Peter, "There was a riddle on it that I could not solve."
Oh yeah. The girls did tell Peter that there was a riddle that was carved into the door or something. But they had no trouble opening it up because MJ just had to put her hand on it.
He shakes his head, "Anyway," he says before he focuses on Elektra, "I was hoping we could talk."
Elektra doesn't respond and keeps her usual blank demeanor but does slightly raise her brow at him. Hercules seems to be less of him now, "Hmph! Likely to try and coerce you into joining his harem," he says as if the notion were ridiculous. He picks up the dinghy again and walks away, "Good luck. If I couldn't convince her to join me in bed, I doubt you would fare any better.
He walks to the shore and drops the dinghy in the water. Peter keeps his sights on him, "Sheesh. Someone is petty," he says with a frown.
Elektra, still with her brow raised, asks, "So you are not here to convince me to join your harem?"
Peter whips his head in her direction, his expression that of surprise, "No!" he nearly shouts, "No no. And it's not a harem. They're with each other too. It's not just about me," he emphasizes, his words tumbling over each other to defend himself. He composes himself and gets a light glare on his face, "And I wouldn't do that to Matt, even though he would to me."
Now, her brow is raised for a different reason, "What do you mean?"
His eyes flick to Felicia, who is preoccupied with conversing with Sonja, before he responds enigmatically, "Let's just say that some time ago, on a late evening, I got a better understanding of why some people turn into villains."
Elektra caught where his sights went and can assume that one of, if not both, of the women Peter brought likely spent a night with Mathew. She feels a pang of jealousy shoot through her, an emotion she thought she had buried. She and Mathew were very serious, and such emotions cannot easily be forgotten. But it has been some time since they've officially been together. And it's likely he's had many partners since, like she has had. Despite that, the sting in her heart is still there. The thought of Mathew being with other women bothers her.
"Anyway," Peter says, bringing her out of her reminiscing, "I just wanted to say thanks for helping me and sorry you got dragged into that."
She looks at him blankly as she responds with, "If you want to apologize for something, then you can start with the fact that you were a difficult student."
Peter flinches at the harsh but not untrue retort. He sheepishly rubs his head, "Yeah~, I may be a genius, but since I got my powers, being a good student pretty much went out the window."
This was indeed a sad truth. He is praised for being as smart as Reed Richards, but unfortunately, his academic credentials fall short in comparison to his potential. Heck, he dropped out of college and then went back only to settle for a bachelor's degree, which did leave a sort of unfulfilled feeling in him. Because he knew, as did so many other people, that he could have achieved so much more. But life as Spider-Man often took his attention away.
He vowed to go back and get a doctorate now, but he can't shake the nagging worry he'll fall back on old habits by putting his studies in the backseat to his heroics. Which he knows isn't wrong to do but still, he wonders if he's just wasting his time in trying to do this.
"You were very young, weren't you?" Elektra questions him, "I recall Emma mentioning that once."
Peter nods in confirmation, "Yeah, I was-wait, Emma?" He says, confused by who Elektra is referring to, "Who the heck is Emma?"
Realizing her slip, the deadly assassin waves off his question, "Not important. And you don't need to worry. I'll keep my end of the bargain."
Now he is confused over what she means by that, "What bargain?"
"Your secret identity," Elektra informs him, "You were upset Anansi revealed your identity to me. He then told you of a technique I possess that will block that knowledge. "
Oh wow, he actually forgot about that. Truth be told, he is not worried about her knowing who he is anymore. Spending the whole day with the woman certainly gave him a perspective into the kind of person she is. And while he wouldn't say he trusts her with his life, he does trust she wouldn't expose him. At least not if he is on her good side, which he hopes to stay on if only so she won't come after him.
That training certainly made him weary of the deadly assassin.
Peter looks at the ravenette-haired woman and can see what Matt sees. She is not evil or cruel. Cold and calculating, but not evil. And based on what he learned about her yesterday, he feels like maybe she is someone he can say he could count on.
"Elektra," Peter starts, making her raise a brow at him, "My secret identity is not something I give away easily. Especially not in the last few years. Recent events, however, have made me reevaluate my position on who to trust with my identity. And now I realize it's not just about trust but who can help too."
Boy, things always seem to be returning to the whole Phoenix debacle.
Her expression remains unbothered as she responds, "I understand. You do not need to explain. I will block my time with you from my memories."
"No, no, no," he says quickly, "What I'm trying to say is that I do trust you with it."
Elektra is caught completely off guard, "What?"
Peter nods as he explains, "Yeah. I mean, you heard Anansi say that my spider sense helps tell me when my identity is in danger of being exposed to those who would bring me harm. It doesn't do that with you, which tells me you are someone I can trust."
She gives him a befuddled expression. In her mind, she wonders why he would give her permission to keep her memories intact. Granted, she doesn't really need his permission because she can pretend to forget and play dumb until it suits her, but still.
Peter raises his hands, "Don't get me wrong, I am worried that you'd likely come to my place or something and ask for my help, not caring who's there."
She raises a brow at him. Well, that at least shows he is not completely incompetent. The question still remains, "Why are you willing to trust me?"
His face has a hint of melancholy as he explains, "Besides listening to my spider-sense, I was told by someone I need to open up more and trust people more. And despite you being, you know…," he leaves her occupation unspoken and continues, "I know you're not a bad person. And I need more people I can trust in my life."
She looks into his brown eyes and sees he is being genuine in his words. He actually trusts her with something as massive as his secret identity. From what she heard, he is more adamant in keeping his identity a secret than even Mathew. He hardly tells anyone who he is.
She would take advantage of this knowledge and he knows this as well but he is still okay with it. If only because he knows she will not endanger him or his loved ones. He believes in her integrity. Oddly enough she is flattered by this. Hardly anyone trusts her.
"You're a fool," she states before her expression softens, "Thank you."
He gives her a big goofy smile before he opens his arms, "Wanna hug it out?"
All softness leaves her eyes immediately, and the cold returns, "Touch me, and I will cut you into pieces and feed you to that school of sharks," she says, pointing to the group in the ocean.
He chuckles for a moment before he stops when his spider-sense tingles. She sends the same intent like when she was trading in him the day before to show she means it. He pulls his arms back and looks at her wearily, "You got a mean streak, you know that?"
"I'm perfectly aware of that," she states with a bit of mirth.
Seeing that he has nothing else to say now that he's said his piece, Peter relaxes and then says, "Well, safe travels and good luck on your mission."
Elektra nods in thanks and watches as he begins to walk back to where his lovers are. Before he gets too far, a question pops into Elektra's head that has been on her mind since she ran into Peter and the ladies he is with.
"Peter," she calls out to him, making him stop and look at her curiously. She gestures between him and the ladies he came with and asks, "How did this come to be?"
He furrows his brows as he turns his head around to look at the girls before he looks back at Elektra, "You mean, how did we get together?"
She nods. She doesn't care, to be honest, but she is curious how it came to be. If only because it seems to be working somehow. Most harems only start because of a man's lust for the women that join and he is in a position of power to get those women. They are more property than actual people. That doesn't seem to be the case for Peter and the two women he is with. They are together because they want to be.
The day before yesterday, when she was at the restaurant waiting for Anansi to show up, she kept an eye on Peter. In doing so, she watched him speak and laugh with the girls. She saw the look they had in their eyes whenever they looked at one another. The love that was in their gaze. It surprised her that he had it for both of them and it was returned.
Peter takes a moment to come up with his response, he's already explained this to others and he'll have to keep doing so when more people find out. There are specific people he knows he'll have to have long talks with, like relatives and friends outside of the costume life, but telling his friends in the costume life is helping him prepare for that. He can be completely honest with them in how it started.
He takes a breath and then says, "Okay, so some time ago, Mary Jane picked up a sword that had an ancient warrior spirit inside of it, Red Sonja. Who is currently out right now."
Elektra looks over to the two women and now sees that it is not the famous redheaded actress lounging on the beach but another redhead. Slightly taller and with more muscles that work very well with her curves.
"Sonja is her own person," she looks back at him as he continues, "She has been inside of Mary Jane for years now, and in that time, she fell in love with me. I know how it sounds, just bear with me," he quickly says when she gives him a peculiar look, "Sonja was dormant until recently. I have no idea why now she is able to come out, but she is."
"Anyway," he says, "Me and MJ were talking about some stuff before that, getting back together and all, and lots of stuff happened between that and Sonja showing up," he takes a moment to consider what he should reveal, "And then she mentioned that they only way we could be together was if I defeated Sonja in a fight, cause apparently the goddess that blessed Sonja had that as a condition for her keeping her powers."
"So, after that, MJ decided to take it upon herself to talk to Felicia and explain what was going on after I botched my confession to her. After some more craziness between, MJ brought Felicia to the mansion, and delivered a very clear message that if I screw this up, those three will still be keeping each other company."
He releases a breath as he finishes his rather bad summary of events that led to his new relationship. He looks at Elektra to see her reaction to his tale. By seeing how she reacts, he can guess how people closer to him would react.
"There are a lot of gaps in your tale," she says.
Peter nods sheepishly, "Yeah, I gotta work on that."
In his defense he hasn't had much time to try and organize his thoughts on how he would explain his new relationship status to anyone. But the suddenness and the constant events that come up in his life leave him to scramble to make sense of everything going on.
Heck when he and Mary Jane got together he was hoping to keep it quiet for a while until he could explain Sonja, who he knew would inevitably be brought up. Now throw Felicia into the mix, my god does he need to find time to figure out how it all happened, because even he is having trouble figuring it out.
"That still leaves one question, though," Elektra brings him out of his thoughts, "Why?"
That is the easiest part to explain. "I love them," he starts with the most obvious thing. He gets a curious brow from Elektra that prompts him to continue, "I've loved them for a long time. I never stopped loving either of them, even when we weren't together."
And that's the truth. Whether he was with Mary Jane or Felicia, he never once stopped loving the other. He never cheated on either with anyone, despite Felicia basically saying they weren't a thing and she had fun outside of him. He remained loyal to both of them and will continue to do so.
"What about Sonja?" Elektra inquires.
Peter looks over to where the red-headed warrior is, and sees she is long back at him as well. He gets a small, genuine smile as he answers, "After last night, I feel like before this vacation is over, I'll be able to say I love her too."
She looks at him closely and can see he means everything he says. She is impressed that someone, anyone really, is capable of showing this much love to more than one person. And capable of loving even more.
Elektra feels a tad jealous, to be honest. Only because she has yet to have anything like this outside of Mathew. Granted, she hasn't tried much, but she has a job to do, and she cannot be distracted. Still, looking at Peter and the ladies he's with makes her long for such a thing. She thought that it was possible to have it with Mathew, but it seemed it wasn't meant to be. And unlike her, he is willing to try it with others.
It's not that she doesn't want Mathew to find a new relationship, ignoring the pang in her heart at the thought of that, it's just she hopes he chooses someone that'll be good for him and love him. He deserves that, at least.
Not wanting to linger on those thoughts anymore, Elektra brings up another subject, "By the way," she says, grabbing Peter's attention, "Anansi had one final message for you." She ignores his groan and continues, "He said you are more capable than you know. You've accepted the spider, but you still do not fully understand what that means. Learn what it means to be a spider."
She walks away without another word. Leaving Peter stumped and by this message. What does Anansi mean? He accepted the spider but he still dones know what that means.
'Why is nothing ever simple with me?' He thinks to himself before he shakes his head. He doesn't want to focus on that now. He has other priorities. He is, finally enjoying his vacation with three wonderful women.
(Sonja and Felicia, same time)
Sonja pets the odd little sea predator with legs affectionately as she keeps her eyes where her shared male lover is conversing with the ebony haired ninja. She watches the interaction closely. She sees that the woman is rather relaxed around Peter. Friendly but not in the same manner as Peter's other friends. More like she knows he won't attack her. She recognizes the signs of a warrior letting her guard down, and Elektra most certainly has her guard down with Peter.
It's curious to see how Peter is with such people. From behind the eyes of Mary Jane, Sonja has watched the man make friends with plenty of hardened people over the years. Wolverine, Silver Sable, Black Widow, and now this Elektra woman. Despite that though, he doesn't have many who he could call true friends.
"Whatcha thinkin', Red?" Felicia asks from behind her.
Sonja keeps her eyes forward, "Nothing in particular," she responds before she leans back into her chair while the shark at her feet lies contently beside her, "Just wondering if we're to have more company while we are here."
Felicia turns her head and lifts her sunglasses up to look curiously at the redhead, "What do you-?" She starts before she stops and sees Peter talking to Elektra. She furrows her brow and says, "Wait, you think…?"
Sonja hums and nods in confirmation at the unfinished question. She keeps her eyes closed as she basks in the sun and waits for Felicia to say why the redhead would think that.
"Yeah~, I don't think so."
Sonja raises a brow at the thief, "Oh?" She asks.
Felicia shrugs her shoulders, "Nothing against her or anything," she starts, "But Peter is way too much of a Boy Scout to be involved with Kingpin's former flunky, Elektra Natchios."
Well, Sonja can't argue with that. Her shared male lover is quite the man, but he has his limits on what and who he tolerates, "Not wanting to kill people is a good thing, Sonja." Mary Jane tells her, prompting Sonja to roll her eyes.
While she respects the restraint on her lover's part, it still does irritate her. Even he acknowledges how much easier his life would be if he crossed that line.
"Easy doesn't mean better," Mary Jane reminds her, which Sonja reluctantly admits is true. Having been inside the actress since her less than responsibleyears, Sonja knows as well as MJ that easy isn't better, just not dangerous.
But she digresses. She brings her attention back to the present, where Peter is still conversing with the lovely assassin. If Sonja were being honest, she wouldn't mind having the Greek woman accompanying them. She has an allure that makes her very intriguing. Her confidence, her poise, and her figure certainly grab much attention.
But more than that, the woman could be a useful ally. Gaea mentioned that Peter was involved in a great game. And considering that gods and other powerful being are involved, she can only surmise how dire it will be. So it's better he has capable allies beside him when the time comes.
She can feel some apprehension that she knows is not her own but her hosts. Mary Jane is worried, which is understandable. Peter is a man, a great man but still a man, involved in something that includes gods and other dangerous forces. Sonja, having her own experience with such things, knows how dangerous such situations are.
'But you don't need to worry,' Sonja mentally assured her host, 'We will be there with him every step of the way. Facing whatever dangers and challenges may come.'
She can feel some of the worry leave her host. And the memory of what they received the day before, the small tree, comes to mind. Gaea said nothing of the tree, but she did acknowledge the fact they are forging weapons, even though they didn't know that was what they were doing. So perhaps the tree holds some power that they can use? They will have to go to Strange to uncover whatever power it holds.
In that thought process, she recalls what was revealed and her face becomes melancholy. The pain of betrayal she feels from Scathach pierces Sonja's heart like a blade. It cuts deeply in her heart and mind to know that her savior and goddess was the orchestrator of her greatest torment.
"What's wrong?" Felicia's question brings her out of her thoughts.
Sonja looks up to the clear sky and says, "Just thinking about what was revealed to me."
She does her best to remain strong. Not to let what she now knows leak into her voice. She needs to be as strong for them as they are for her.
"So what are you gonna do now?"
After a moment of thought, Sonja shrugs, "I'm not sure," She responds, "I could go and try to find her and confront her but I don't want to abandon this life for a quest for revenge. I don't want to do that to Mary Jane or you or Peter."
No matter how tempting it might sound. The anger is there. It's almost consuming her. She can't ignore it, and no matter what she does, it doesn't go away. Even after a fantastic night like the night before, all that did was distract her from it. She doesn't understand how Peter can let anger like this go so easily.
"Sonja," Felicia calls out her name, making the warrior look at her with slight surprise, because the thief usually uses pet names, and see the woman has a face of sincerity, "I know what your feeling right now, because I've had that same feeling, but you can't let it rule your life."
Sonja looks at the woman's eyes and can see something she didn't notice until now. The pain inside of them and sympathy. It's the same she had the night prior when Sonja told them of her origins.
Sonja and Mary Jane come to a startling realization, "Have you-?"
"Yes," Felicia immediately responds, not wanting her to finish her question. She has her head low and and face covered by her hair, "It was years ago and it's… not something I like to relive. Mostly because it has affected my relationships."
Sonja observes the woman closely. Years of being trapped inside Mary Jane without being able to do anything else but observe life as it passes by has allowed her to develop some intricate people reading skills. And it is further enhanced by Mary Jane's acting education since acting requires the performer to step into the shoes of different characters and understand their motivations.
For example, she knows that great trauma affects how one goes about living one's life. In this example, Mary Jane and Felicia allowed their trauma to affect their love life.
For Mary Jane, she did not allow herself to love Peter too much. She erected emotional barriers to protect herself so as not to suffer the same fate as her mother. Her mother let her love for her father rule and dictate her life, and it killed her. And it also resulted in Mary Jane and her sister suffering under their father's misdirected anger. The supermodel may have forgiven and even begun speaking with her father again, but the pain is still there.
But more to the point, it's also why she despised Peter's Spider-Man persona. She knew that part of his life would dominate both of their lives. She recognized Peter's immense importance in his superhero duties, but that still meant that she and anything else in their lives would be second to his responsibilities as Spider-Man.
For Felicia, her assault greatly affected her. She trusted and loved someone who took advantage of her and left her with a damaged heart and mind. It's why she did not want to love Peter but only Spider-Man. To love Peter means she would have to be Felicia Hardy, which is not who she views herself as. She finds solace in being the Black Cat because it is the symbol of strength and independence and, more likely, because the Black Cat was never a victim of such a thing.
The woman clearly struggled to reconcile her feelings for Peter with her fear of being hurt again, so she compartmentalized her feelings, separating her love for Peter from her love for Spider-Man.
Sonja notes that both of them have allowed their trauma to shape their decisions, and she does not want that for herself. She wants love and to be loved unconditionally by that man just as he does them. She has already made a step in the right direction by revealing her past, but she still has some ways to go.
And it's not just him. After all, she is currently lounging on a beach beside a lovely woman who she has grown rather fond of.
She looks at the thief appreciatively, "Thank you, Felicia," she says with a smile, "For your words and inspiring me."
Felicia smiles back and dismissively shrugs, "Hey, if anyone is inspiring, it's MJ," she says, "To lose a kid and still be able to smile, that's someone you can rely on to carry you."
Ah, yes, that conversation. Mary Jane's "confession" to Felicia. It was the truth made in a moment of panic, but not the whole truth.
"What would have been better?" Mary Jane questions her with heat, "To tell her of our previous life, where she attacked me, longed for Peter, and resented both Peter and me but buried it inside to still be by his side?"
Sonja closes her eyes. No. That would hurt the thief. Much as good as it would be to reveal the truth, Felicia would likely only be heartbroken and despise them all. And she would also likely hate herself as well. If only because she hurt a woman, she now considers a dear friend and perhaps more.
Sonja feels that in time however, the whole truth should be told. Because the longer they wait, the more painful it will be.
"Maybe, but not today."
Sonja would like to discuss it more, but Peter comes back, and Felicia voices their question, "What was that about?"
"Just needed to clear up some things," he responds rather vaguely, "Anyway, do you girls want to go hit the slopes?"
Both of them look at him curiously as Felicia says, "Hit the slopes?"
Peter nods and points to the large snowy mountain a good distance away, "Y'know, go skiing."
Sonja looks at Hardy, and she backs at her before both shrugging and saying, "Yeah, sure/Why not?"
"Great!" He says enthusiastically. He then looks down at himself and comments, "Though we are gonna have to go shopping for different clothes. I don't think what we're wearing is suitable for the cold.
She can feel Mary Jane's excitement and from the corner of her eye, she can see Felicia excited as well, "You said the magic words."
(Yacht, Days later)
Standing on the deck of the stolen yacht, Mary Jane looks out to the island with a small smile as Peter is conversing with Antiope and her father and uncle, likely saying thanks for allowing them to stay there and being hospitable with them. Even though it technically didn't start out that way. But regardless, she is happy to say that this vacation was a success. It may have had a bit of a bumpy start, what with being kidnapped by Greek pirate witches, but it still turned out great.
Traveling across the island, she and her fellow bedmates did everything and anything they could find to do. After their day at the beach, they did as Peter said and went snowboarding. It was so much fun! She had gone snowboarding before, in her younger days of travel, but this time, she enjoyed it more because she got the thrill without the risk of danger, thanks to Sonja taking over. Sonja even suggested a race down the mountain, and both Peter and Felicia embraced the challenge. At least until an avalanche was triggered, how it happened is anyone's guess. Fortunately, nobody got hurt since some kind of magic protected the lodge, and there were no other skiers, but it was still terrifying at the moment.
Peter blamed himself for some reason, but both girls slapped him on the head for being stupid. How could he have caused an avalanche?
Anyway, the following days were a myriad of activities the amorous companions went on. From deep sea diving, which wasn't as thrilling but still fun if only because Peter immediately got thrown out of the water when he woke up a giant octopus, to the occasional dinner date at one of the many restaurants this place has. And not to mention the multiple dresses and other fine clothing both she and Felicia got from Anansi. It was his way of saying sorry for messing with their vacation.
All in all, Mary Jane would love to stay longer. But she knows they have responsibilities back home.
'Still, we're definitely coming back again,' she mentally says to herself.
"What's on your mind, beautiful?" Felicia's melodious voice takes the supermodel's attention away from the island.
She turns her sights to the redhead and can't help but have a big smile, "Nothing gorgeous. Just thinking when we're gonna come back," Mary Jane responds joyfully, "You can't deny this has been one hell of a trip."
Felicia giggles as she teasingly says, "Especially considering what we expected to do mostly for this trip."
MJ nods in agreement as she enjoys hearing the platinum blonde laugh. This was something she did not expect from this spontaneous trip of theirs. She did not expect to grow as close as she is now to her former romantic rival. After their thing with Gaea and the following days, MJ found herself looking forward to spending time with the thief. She is feeling herself fall in love with her. A frightening prospect. 'But it's one I'm happy to risk.'
MJ leans on the railing as Felicia gets beside her and looks at the island as well, "I can't wait to come back," she says, "But I'm also eager to get home."
She misses home. She misses her work, her friends, and her aunt. But most of all, she wants to get back to some sense of normalcy. Or at least as normal as things can be in a relationship with Peter or in a city like New York. She expects that maybe something will happen when they get back but hopefully nothing too disastrous.
God, does she yearn for a normal day. As relaxing as this trip was, it wasn't normal. Fun and exciting but not normal. She should just accept that nothing will be normal for her, but still, she yearns for it. If only for the sake of reconnecting with her family.
As she thinks about it some more, another frightening thought enters her mind, "So now that this is official," she starts as she glances at her future business partner, "When do we go through the awkward process of telling people we care about?"
That is something she has been dreading for since this relationship began. Telling her Aunt Anna and Aunt May about how she and Peter are trying again with the added company of two others and possibly more if Sonja has her way.
She can see Felicia grimace at the mention of telling their loved ones, "Now I'm tempted to just stay here."
MJ huffs in amusement before she shrugs and jokes, "Can't be worse than what we can imagine, right?"
"I don't know about that," Felicia says, "I got a pretty dark imagination."
MJ gets contemplative, "Well, my Aunt Anna loves Peter and all, so that's a win. But this new relationship of ours…?"
Felicia nods in understanding, "Yeah, I'm worried about how my mom would react too," she informs the actress, "I mean, she wants what's best for me, and I've told her about Peter, so she might be thrilled I'm with him. But~ the fact that he came with two redheads might not be a strong selling point."
That is the main issue for telling others. Their relationship is not normal by any means. It is by far the oddest one. A superhero, a supermodel, a super thief, and a warrior spirit from a past alternate timeline are all physically involved with each other. And that's the polite way of describing them.
It was a delicate situation that needs to be handled with care in how to explain and introduce it to others.
"And there is one person I'm most concerned with," Mary Jane voices.
Felicia looks at her and says, "Aunt May?"
Mary Jane nods, and Felicia agrees with her. The worry for the approval from the woman who raised Peter and is the last living relative the man has is something she is extremely concerned with. If she doesn't approve or support this, Felicia doubts he'll simply end their relationship, but she is concerned about how it will affect his relationship with his mother figure.
Aunt May has been the only constant in Peter's life. A source of unwavering love and support, especially when the girls weren't there for him and he had no one else to turn to. She has always been there, even in his darkest times. Even when he tries to keep her at arm's length to protect her, she is still the one he can always count on.
MJ is so grateful for everything that woman has done. She knows May played a vital role in shaping Peter into the compassionate and heroic man he is today. And MJ doesn't want to disappoint the elderly woman. She has been like a second mom to her in both lives. Even when Peter and her were not together.
She desperately hopes that May will accept this relationship for what it is. People who love her nephew so much that they couldn't stand the thought of not being with him. That they will stand by him no matter what and try to find a way to continue to make this unconventional relationship work.
However, as much as MJ is worried about the woman's approval, she knows Peter will be more worried about her health. The main reason why he has never revealed his identity to her, even all these years later.
"You know what I don't get," Felicia says, grabbing the actress's attention, "How Peter thinks that woman is a delicate little thing."
MJ raises a brow, as it seems the thief was having similar thoughts as her, before she nods, "Yeah, I know what you mean," she responds, "She has had health problems, but she is stronger than he gives her credit for."
This was especially proven in the previous life, the one she and he were married in. Aunt May finding out was the best thing for their relationship. It meant that Peter no longer had to lie and was able to include her more in his life. It was especially inspiring how that woman was doing what Mary Jane does in trying to find ways to help Peter.
She turns to look at Felicia and sees the concerns etched on her face. Mary Jane can guess what has her worried and attempts to reassure her, "She likes you, so you don't have to worry about that."
Felicia gets an uncertain look, "Maybe," she says, "But I wasn't exactly the best influence or partner Peter has had. She may not have said it, but I know she thought I wasn't the best thing for him."
"Hey," she nudges the thief, "She never got to know you. Trust me, when she does, she'll see how great you are. And how much better Peter and I are in knowing you."
And she means it, too. She knows how much better her life is thanks to the amazing people she has surrounded herself with. She tried to push them away so as not to get close to them, but they wouldn't let her. They stuck around and brought out the best in her. Just like she knows Peter has done for Felicia. She'd like to think that both of them brought out better parts of Peter, too. Parts he didn't know or acknowledge for whatever reasons.
"Ladies," Peter announces as he exits the interior of the yacht, "Getting in one last look of paradise?"
Felicia and she nod as Felicia says, "Yeah, the place was nice and all, but we're looking forward to going home."
"Glad I'm not the only one," Peter responds as he steps up and leans against the railing and watches the island begin to shrink as they travel away, "I thought you girls would want to become one of the locals and just spend the rest of our lives there."
Mary Jane puts on a faux look of consideration as she comments. "We're tempted, but we know where we belong."
Peter turns and smiles at her, and she returns it.
He straightens himself out and steps back from the railing and says, "Well based on what Antiope told me, it'll be a day or so until we get back home," he then gets a look in his eye that she recognizes all too well, "Meantime I know something we could do to kill time."
Mary Jane rolls her eyes at him and sees Felicia get a sultry smile as she asks, "Mmm, and what's that?"
Peter fires a web line behind him, pulls a box, and presents them with, "Monopoly!"
Mary Jane becomes gobsmacked for a moment before she snorts in laughter, and then loses it when she sees Felicia's expression and hears her response, "God, you are such a dork."
Peter shrugs, "What? It's a great way to kill time, and I've never finished a game."
Mary Jane was so distracted that she didn't notice a familiar little animal walking up behind Peter and rubbing its head on his leg, making the hero jump up in surprise. "Bah!"
Peter's shout gets MJ to stop laughing, and they look down and see the little baby land shark that they had seen several times on the island is now on their yacht.
Everyone is surprised, but none are more vocal than Peter as he looks at the shark, completely stunned at its presence, "What the-!? How do you get on here!?"
The little sea predator with legs wags its tail excitedly as it runs over to MJ and begins to rub itself on her legs.
"Aw," Mary Jane coos at the creature and kneels down to rub it's head, "Did you sneak on board to follow us home?" She says in a baby voice.
As the creature rolls on it's stomach and MJ continues to rub it, Peter stares at her and says, "MJ, we can't keep this thing."
"Peter," she says indignantly, "We can't just throw him overboard."
"The island is right-" he starts before he stops when he sees that the island is no longer there, "The heck?"
All three of them look to where they came from and find no sign of the island. "Guess that explains why nobody has heard of it," Felicia comments.
Mary Jane looks back down at the shark, "Guess we're stuck with him," she says.
Peter looks at her incredulously, "We can't keep him!"
"Why not?" MJ challenges.
He sputters for a moment before he answers, "Okay, number one, where would we even keep him? Cause, in case you didn't notice, a shark with four legs would stick out even in New York."
Well, she can't argue with that. As weird as it gets the city, a land shark would definitely draw attention.
But fortunately, a solution comes to mind. "Well, one of us does own a mansion filled with superheroes who have seen plenty of weird stuff," Mary Jane points out, "I doubt a baby shark with legs will make them blink."
Or at least they won't experiment on him since he comes with Peter.
Peter grumbles because she might have a point before he continues, "Okay, well, the second problem is the fact that he is a shark.A very vicious and dangerous sea creature."
All three of them look down at the "dangerous" sea predator and see that it's on its back, wagging its tail, while Mary Jane continues to rub its belly.
The two women look back at their male paramour with expectant faces. Waiting for him to get the silent message.
Peter sighs in defeat. Guess the shark is coming home with them.