(Untitled)

[getemtiger]

In the year and a half she had been on the island, Mary Jane had been through a hell of a lot - more, she thought, than she'd ever had to go through back home, or at least it seemed that way, all of it fitting within such a short amount of time. More than once, she'd told herself that things here couldn't have gotten worse. Even now, trying to keep

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[daretodo]

It's the tone of her voice alone that catches my breath short. I turn around on the spot, and when I see her just standing there, breathless but otherwise stock-still, all conscious thought goes flying from mind, replaced with one single, sinking realization -- something's happened. Dimly, I'm aware of dropping the towel I'd been using to dry my hair, but I don't register anything else until I'm holding her shoulders in my hands, trying to catch her wide-eyed gaze with my own, searching her face for any inclination of what's wrong.

"Mary Jane?" I ask, a tidal wave of concern flooding into those three little syllables. She's already been through so much, it seems unfair to put her through more again so soon. "Mary Jane, what is it? What's wrong?"

[getemtiger]

"I don't -" Mary Jane started, but it was too much. All of it combined - confusion, residual fear, relief at Peter's being alright - was more overwhelming than she could, in that moment, handle. Unable to explain just yet, what little she had pieced together sounding ridiculous even in her own head, there was nothing she could do but shake her head, barely noticing as her eyes filled with tears. Hands coming up to curl around the fabric of his shirt, just below its collar, she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his shoulder, helping her stay upright as her knees gave out underneath her. "I don't know," she choked out on a sob, words half-muffled. "I don't know what happened, I just -"

[daretodo]

"Shh, shh, it's alright," I murmur, though I have no way of knowing how long that'll stay true. As a million possibilities rush through my mind, my body operates on autopilot. Instinctively, I pull her in closer, burying one hand in her hair to cradle the back of her head. She doesn't look injured, as far as I can tell, but that doesn't mean a damn thing, not when she's trembling like a leaf, and I can barely make out what she's trying to tell me. In this moment, it doesn't matter how many weeks I've got left on my recovery -- panic pushes adrenaline through my veins, and I pick her up from the ground with no hint of pain, one arm secure under her knees, the other supporting her back. I start towards the bed. "It's alright, Mary Jane, just-- Just take your time, okay? Nothing's gonna get to you here, I promise."

[getemtiger]

There was nothing Mary Jane could do but curl against him, fighting hard to try to catch her breath, if only because she knew she needed to say something. Technically speaking, she had gotten through so much worse and she knew it, but after what she'd seen, it was hard to feel like that, to process it, logic temporarily taking a backseat. Trying her hardest to focus on Peter and his arms around her, not what it had been like to see him killed, she clung to him almost desperately, though it did nothing to slow her crying now that she'd started. That was going to take a few moments more. "It seemed so real," she managed, that suddenly being one of the only things she fully knew was true. "God, Peter, I don't -"

[daretodo]

With the way she's holding onto me, clinging to me like a child, I don't set her down on the bed, instead just easing myself onto the mattress, Mary Jane still in my arms. It's frightening to see her like this, to not know what inspired such an adverse reaction, and underneath my own concern and fear for her, anger simmers unacknowledged for the time being. There is only one thing in any world that can push me to the point of no return, and that's doing harm to my family. If there's someone to be blamed for what's happened to her, they won't stand a chance, injuries or no.

"What seemed real?" I ask, my voice gentle, if insistent, my every nerve on edge from the suspense of not knowing what's wrong with my wife. "MJ, please, I want to help you--?"

[getemtiger]

"I was just walking home," Mary Jane managed to say on an exhale, all in a rush. It didn't explain anything, but it was a start, and she figured it was best to go back to the beginning. Even now, it made no sense to her, something that being so emotional didn't help in the slightest, but she needed to try, distantly aware that she had to have been worrying him. Breaths coming a little steadier, she paused, swallowing hard, still leaning against him. "And I don't know what happened, it was like... Suddenly, I was somewhere else, and... God, it was so horrible."

[daretodo]

"Was it-- There've been reports of people reliving moments of their lives over and over," I say quickly, wracking my mind for any and every explanation I can think of to make sense of what she's describing. That the Island's behind this particular horror seems most likely, and a sense of helplessness weighs down on me, almost suffocating. Someone hurt my wife, and the only thing I can hope to do is pick up the pieces, put her back together like she's done for me so many times before. "Was it like that?"

[getemtiger]

"No," Mary Jane was quick to answer, shaking her head, only a moment later reconsidering that answer and how true it was. "Sort of? But - no, no, not like that." It had drawn from the past, but there was no actual reliving; instead, it was everything compounded, twisted, in ways that even seemed vaguely familiar, though it was hard to hold on to that fact in the face of what she'd just been through. "It was worse. Like... like a really bad dream, or something."

[daretodo]

The Councilman in me wants to hightail it to the Compound, thinking this might be an Island-wide occurrence, not limited to her, but I shut him up quickly. This isn't the time to be torn between responsibilities, not when the only family I've got here is still a shivering mess in my arms. I can't very well leave her in this condition -- the thought alone's unconscionable. Brushing back Mary Jane's hair from her face, I press a kiss to her forehead, then pull away just enough to look at her.

"But you were awake?" I ask, eyes narrowing slightly in both thought and confusion. "Not like when we all ended up in Jersey?"

[getemtiger]

"I was awake," Mary Jane confirmed, voice weak, though a little more even. Strange as the whole thing was, that was one thing she couldn't question. Any other option would only have made it even more inexplicable, and she was having trouble enough trying to make sense of it in the first place. Meeting his gaze with wide, glassy eyes, she nodded, not yet willing to pull away from him in the slightest. "Just... walking down the path, like normal. Except then, I was..."

[daretodo]

"Then you were...?" I ask, an inescapable feeling of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. The truth is, for as much as I want to help her, I'm not entirely sure I want to know just where it is she was, knowing with utmost certainty that it won't be anywhere good. But this isn't about what I do and do not want -- if holding her through this is the best I can give her, I'll do so without complaint, frustrating as it is to know there's literally nothing else to do. The damage has already been done. "Mary Jane?"

[getemtiger]

Struck with a sudden, inexplicable guilt, Mary Jane faltered, head ducking so she could look away from him again. Though she knew she needed to, wouldn't have kept something of this magnitude from him, just saying something like this was difficult enough, made even more so by the thought of how much they'd been through already. Still, even if she'd been able to pull herself together, she would've had to explain; maybe it wasn't especially fair to make him have to deal with this, too, but it likewise wouldn't have been fair to shoulder it on her own, and not let him in. It was the only way for this to work, and she had recently said as much, too.

"Up over the water," she answered, just loud enough to be audible, an almost distant quality to her voice. Absently, she toyed with the bottom of her shirt, fingers curling around its hem, pulling lightly at threads. "Like... Like January - you remember that one dream I told you about? It was pretty much just like that."

[daretodo]

It takes me longer than it should remember what dream it is she's talking about, but when I do, I inhale sharply, mind going numb from the shock of it. For one terrifying moment, I wonder if Mysterio's shown up on the Island -- this sort of thing seems right up his alley -- but then I realize he would've needed some serious upgrades to have pulled off the sort of thing she's describing, not to mention to have been here for long enough to pool together enough reconnaissance to figure out what would do the most damage. Maybe it's willful denial -- or maybe it's wishful thinking -- but I have to operate on the assumption that the Island's to blame, and not some part of my rogues' gallery. Nodding mutely, I hold onto her just that much tighter, waiting for her to continue.

[getemtiger]

"I feel so stupid," Mary Jane sighed abruptly, head still lowered so she wasn't looking at him, mouth set in a tight frown. There was nothing she could have done about it, that much was obvious, but sitting here, recounting it now after having completely fallen apart when she walked in, the whole thing just seemed ridiculous, too far-fetched to have ever been taken seriously in the first place. Living it, that had been something completely different, too unsettling to be ignored. "It sounds so stupid. And it goes on from there."

[daretodo]

"Mary Jane, think about who you're talking to," I say gently, lowering my own head in an attempt to catch her gaze. As heartbreaking as it is to see her like this, I'm not about to let her badmouth herself for having what is, in my estimation, a fairly reasonable reaction. After what we've been through lately, it's the last thing she could've needed. "You had to stitch up my hands after I had a little nightmare. There's no need to feel stupid."

[getemtiger]

"Yeah," she conceded, though half-heartedly, holding his gaze for all of a moment before she glanced away again. This still seemed different; she'd been awake the whole time, maybe not honestly thinking it had been happening, but feeling like it. Walking down the path wasn't the same as falling asleep and having a nightmare. There was more left to tell, though, and that was more important to focus on than how ridiculous she felt.

Teeth pressing to her lower lip, she cleared her throat, voice slightly hoarse from the way she'd been crying. "Should... I keep going?"