Log: Peter & MJ Who: Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson When: Early morning, Friday, February 22, 2008 Where: The Parker suite, Xavier's School What: Peter comes back from his spider-brooding in the city and MJ's up and waiting for him... and she takes the chance to tell him that the problem isn't just theirs anymore, that she's contacted Alex Summers and X-Factor to try to help them out with the whole getting-fingers-in-the-mail thing.
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By the time Peter managed to make it back to Westchester, it was just around dawn. May was asleep in her crib, MJ was curled up in bed, and everything was exactly as it was supposed to be... except for the fact that MJ wasn't asleep. The second she heard him sneaking back inside, she started to listen, still and quiet.. and it wasn't until he'd changed out of his suit and started to slip back into bed (son of a bitch) that she said,
"So where were you." It was one thing when they lived in New York City and Peter would slip out every night. Sneaking out like that? That wasn't like him. That wasn't what he did. He told her he was leaving. He never went to bed, woke up in the middle of the night in order to swing out as Spider-Man. That wasn't how things worked, especially not in Westchester.
"City." He hadn't found much of anything, but he'd needed it. Peter needed New York, and it felt wrong to just sit in Westchester when he had that nagging feeling that something was so inherently wrong. Liz Allen's murder could have easily been her pissing off some random, unstable mutant, but he needed to get out. Especially with that ... letter he'd gotten.
MJ rolled over, adjusting the blankets and looking at him critically. "Why? You snuck out. You don't sneak out. Did you have another nightmare?"
"Wouldn't call it a nightmare." Peter was tired and needed an hour or two before he had to get up, and MJ just ... she wasn't helping.
"What would you call it?" MJ didn't want to let him sleep unless he actually answered her questions. "Because whatever it was got you to get up and get out and not tell me where you were going. I woke up and you were gone and... god damn it, Pete, you have no idea what that does to me."
"It's a voice in my head that won't shut up, that's what I'd call it." Peter rolled over, putting his back to her. "I needed to get out, and I didn't want to wake you up. I'm fine."
MJ frowned. "You have a voice in your head?" She sat up a little, leaing on her elbow. Her hair was in a tangled red mess and she was dressed in one of Peter's worn shirts that was hanging off one shoulder. "What the hell do you mean, you have a voice in your head...?" She knew vaguely about the nightmares, but... hn.
"Maybe you should see David. Maybe you should... see someone..." Harry had had a little problem with schizophrenia and look how that turned out.
"I'll talk to David," Peter promised, too tired to argue with her. "I will talk to David, okay? Promise." He didn't really want to tell her about it; it was too weird. Way too weird.
MJ sighed, reaching out and running her fingers through Peter's hair. She felt a little guilty for keeping him up when he obviously looked so exhausted, and her touch was gentle, soothing. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Liz...?"
"I don't know what to think about Liz," Peter admitted. "It could be me, it could be her. I barely knew her; she was dating Harry when he was trying to kill me. I don't know."
MJ picked at her fingernails, sniffing lightly. "I... she was a friend of mine," she said, not sure if Peter actually knew that, because he tended to be so self-interested that he didn't ask. Then again, if was MJ's fault for not piping up and saying anything. They'd gone to high school together, but of course Peter hadn't known her----they'd been in completely different spheres. Peter was a nerd and Liz... well. Liz was cool and Peter was not. MJ had been in that sphere, MJ had actually been close with Liz in high school even if their relationship had become pretty much nonexistent in adulthood.
---And that put Liz a lot closer to Peter, if he was the source of it. Peter shifted uncomfortably. "...Can we talk about this later, MJ?"
"You're tired, I know." MJ pushed her hair out of her eyes. Of course Peter didn't want to talk about it. MJ had read the paper and cried for an hour, but... well. She kept stuff to herself when she knew Peter was stressed out. "But----um. Alex said that Liz's murder might have something to do with the fingers."
Peter sat up, looking back over at her. "Alex?"
Oh. Right. Shoot. MJ sat up, pulling her knees in close. "Alex. Summers. He works for X-Factor Investigations. And... he sent me that photo album and so it made me think... I told him about what happened and sent him photographs and... he's looking into it."
For a second, it seemed as if Peter would be angry -- and then he laid back down. It meant someone snooping around their business, but ... Alex was a Summers. Peter didn't get along with Scott, but he respected him, and if Alex was anything like his brother, ... maybe it wasn't so bad. "All right."
"I'm sorry," MJ said quietly.
Peter turned back, tugging MJ down again. "C'mere."
MJ slumped, stretching her legs and swinging one over Peter's legs as she moved in to rest against him. She was quiet, kissing his chest gently.
Peter kissed her hair, resting against MJ and closing his eyes. "I love you."
Her mouth twitched and she felt her heart skip a little beat. She really hadn't expected him to say that. Not quite able to bring herself to really smile under the circumstances, she used her arm and her leg to hug him close, nuzzling him. "I love you, too," she whispered. "We'll figure out what's going on. Alex will help us. You don't have to bear this all on your own." Before he could answer, she slipped her hand up and pressed her fingers against his lips. "Sleep. You need sleep. I'll be here."