At a demonstration on radiation, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by an irradiated spider from which he gained the arachnid's incredible abilities. When a burglar killed his beloved Uncle Ben, a grief-stricken Peter vowed to use his great powers in the service of his fellow man, because he learned an invaluable lesson: with great power there must also come great responsibility.

PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN

#165

Starring:

Peter Parker, aka SPIDER-MAN

Norman Osborn, aka THE GREEN GOBLIN

Mary Jane Watson-Parker

Aunt May Parker

Wilson Fisk, aka THE KINGPIN

Vanessa Fisk

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man

Janet Pym, aka The Wasp

Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye

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The Face On The Milk Carton--Part Ten of Ten

"Régler les Derniers Détails"

Forest Hills, NY

I've always been in awe of Wolverine's healing abilities…must be nice, when you're bleeding, to have it just all go away in about an hour or so.

And then there's me.

Peter Parker looked at his wounded shoulder, having been struck by an arrow moments ago.

Yeah, then there's me. More power? More pain! Ugh, I sound like one of those damn UFC guys…which is where I would have probably ended up if I—

His thoughts were interrupted as he finally was spoken to by the originator of the arrow.

"Spider-Man? You heard the Wasp. Stand down," said Hawkeye, having loaded up another arrow and aiming at Peter, who had a fist balled and ready to strike Norman Osborn again.

Peter dropped the man-turned-monster to the ground, who was now unconscious. He looked at him for a moment, then looked back to the Avengers. He rubbed his arm gingerly, then snapped his fingers.

"Oh, I get it! This is the part where you guys get all the rest of the Avengers to come out of these empty houses," he said, pointing to the homes around them, "and then you all yell out 'Surprise!', and balloons start coming down, and then you tell me what I've won, and then Tony, you take your mask off revealing yourself to be Ed McMahon, and everyone goes home happy! Right? Right??"

The Avengers stayed in place, not amused. Damn, thought Peter. Well, it was worth a shot.

Peter sighed. "Okay, so since you guys are in the shoot-first, give answers-later mode, talk to me and tell me just what the hell is going on here!"

Hawkeye finally lowered his bow and arrow, returning them back to the holsters on his back, and the Avengers finally moved closer to Peter and Osborn's downed form. She-Hulk, as she walked up to Osborn, pinched Peter on the cheek. "Hey there, cutie," she said, smiling.

Peter snorted. "Well, at least someone's in a good mood," he said. "What's wrong with the rest of your teammates?"

"Hang on," she responded, dismissively waving off Peter. She knelt down by Osborn and produced a syringe that had a green-looking fluid to it and administered it to Osborn. She injected him with it until the syringe was empty, and then she carefully removed the syringe from Osborn and stood up, turning back to Peter. "You'd better take a few steps back. I don't know how this is gonna go, but…"

Without warning, Osborn's monstrous form suddenly began to rapidly mutate back to normal size, and after several minutes he was fully human again.

For a moment, Peter took in the scene, somewhat surprised, and then after realizing something, he turned away in disgust. "Ugh, gross!" he exclaimed, putting up his hands over his face.

She-Hulk looked confused for a second, then began laughing. "Come on Spidey!" she said, chuckling. "Don't you ever go to the public gym or something? I'm sure you've seen worse…"

Peter shook his head, still grossed out. "That's all fine and good, but I really don't want to see the naked form of my biggest enemy lying at my feet," he said, pointing at the shorts that had torn apart during Osborn's reversion back to human form. He thought back to the streaker he had accosted earlier in the week. "Besides, I've had to deal with streaking criminals recently. This is just worse."

The rest of the Avengers flew over, and Peter looked at Hawkeye. "So you mind telling me what that was all about?"

Hawkeye shrugged. "Sorry, man," he offered. "But we're under strict orders to retrieve and make sure no harm comes to him. I hope you understand."

Peter was pissed off now, and pointed a finger in his face, slightly wincing as his wounded shoulder burned. "Listen buddy, I don't understand," he said. "You just shot my arm for no reason, and lucky for me I have these nifty little spider-powers that keep it from hurting too bad. But yeah, one of you guys better tell me why you're so interested in Osborn."

Captain America finally held up a hand to Hawkeye, who was getting equally ticked off himself, and then he looked back at Peter. "Look, Spider-Man, first off, thanks for saving my rear again back in Denver," he began. "But do you remember how it went down over there? You and I ended up saving Dr. Doom's life, right? So let me ask you, how is this any different?"

"It's damn well different," Spider-Man responded. "Doom wasn't putting anyone in danger, Osborn was terrorizing innocents in this sleepy little neighborhood."

Captain America cocked an eyebrow. "Was he?" he asked. "He wasn't fighting back. You were aggressively going after him."

"Yeah yeah, so I was a little rough on him," he said, irritated now. "I still don't get why you guys are so interested in him?"

"All right," responded Captain America, looking down at the pavement suddenly, tensing up. "Well, what I'm about to tell you isn't going to be easy for you to hear, Spider-Man, but…Nick Fury wants to bring Norman Osborn into S.H.I.E.L.D. And this whole thing with the Kingpin was his test."

For a moment, Peter was dumbfounded, then he began laughing hysterically.

The Avengers were briefly caught off guard, and then Captain America showed his annoyance.

"I'm not joking, Spider-Man," he said sternly. Peter stopped laughing and stared at him, shocked. "We've been watching your battles with him. We think he's changed. So we wanted to talk to him. See if we could use him in our ongoing mission. The only problem is, the Kingpin nabbed him and complicated things. Luckily for us, the guy still has his conscience because he had no clue what he was doing when the Kingpin nailed him with that formula, but when he tried to reverse it Osborn showed some guilt for his actions even though the Kingpin's reversion attempt was botched. And now, we were able to reverse the effects fully and as you can see, he looks to be OK."

Peter looked down, stunned. Had the world gone mad? Did the Avengers, the so-called "world's mightiest heroes," really decide that Norman Osborn could be trusted? Then he looked back up at Captain America.

"You guys don't know what the hell you're doing here," he said, infuriated. "This guy is a nut, and he's killed so many people over the years. True, this time he wasn't under his own power, but I've seen this act from him in the past. If you really think he's changed, and if you want to rehabilitate him and use his cunning and wit and business acumen for good and all that, then go ahead and knock yourself out. I can't really stop you, since you guys are threatening me if I disrupt your boss' master plan. But the day he turns on you...and I'm telling you, he will turn on you…don't come back to me asking for what you should do. Because I'm telling you right now—the only place Norman Osborn belongs is in a high-powered, maximum security cell. Period."

Captain America's expression was full of guilt as he digested Peter's suggestion, then he responded. "Thanks for your input, Spider-Man. But we've got our orders here." He then offered his hand to Spider-Man, and Peter let it hang there, refusing to reciprocate. Captain America sighed, then turned around as Iron Man wrapped Osborn's body in a sheet and grabbed him, and the Avengers left the neighborhood, their new acquisition in tow.

But as the Avengers departed, Peter could have sworn he saw Osborn's eyes flicker open, just for a moment, glance at Peter, give him a mischievous smile, and then wink.

In return, Peter gave him the one-finger salute.

This will never end, will it? he thought, exasperated. Then he looked around as ambulances and fire trucks descended on the scene, and decided it was time to call it a night. He shot his webs off into the distance and left for home.

Interlude.

The story you've read above should be seen as having taken place some time between Amazing Spider-Man #505 and #506. After the above events, Amazing Spider-Man #506-508 take place. While we show that MJ was filming a movie in our story arc, these three issues show Mary Jane trying her hand out at theatre productions. This apparent contradiction is resolved by the shut-down of the filming throwing the status of the movie into limbo, and MJ having to go find other work in the meantime. Meanwhile, Peter is betrayed by Ezekiel and taken to Africa, but at the last second Peter's "mentor" has a change of heart and saves Peter from death at the hands of the Spider-God, sacrificing himself in the process. Peter leaves the confrontation understanding that while there may well be a totemistic aspect to his origin as Spider-Man, the essence of who he is and how he became a crime-fighting, costumed web-slinger remains unchanged.

To continue following along, after these issues, the "Book of Ezekiel" arc, please disregard all further continuity from the Spider-Man mythos (meaning everything from "Sins Past" onward does not count towards our stories).

In the Spectacular Spider-Man title, written by Paul Jenkins, the last story to play into our continuity is "Spectacular Spider-Man #14."

Finally, none of the events in "Marvel Knights: Spider-Man" onwards occur in our continuity (even though that was a solid 12-issue run by Mark Millar that really did a great job at making an epic but good Spider-Man story, something we hadn't seen in a while in any Spider-man title).

Now that we've addressed any continuity issues for those of you who are into that sort of thing, let's start the story back up again. Six months have passed since the events of our first nine and a half issues. But there's a reason we haven't ended things yet (and have rudely interrupted you true believers in the middle of our story), because there's a few more events that are going to take place after this little interlude.

Daredevil finally called Peter about a week after the events of the beginning of this issue, and told Peter he had found Baby May. But when Peter asked him where she was, he had no answer, and Peter apologized to Murdock but said that he couldn't believe this anymore until he saw her in the flesh and got confirmed DNA evidence that his daughter was, in fact, his daughter.

Meanwhile, Aunt May has begun acting strangely. The old woman has somewhat distanced herself from her nephew and his wife over the last several months. Most times Peter calls her, she always has an excuse, saying she's busy with a project, and that she doesn't need help. The times that they are able to get together, she demands that she come over to their place, or if they do come over to her house, she makes it quick and usually Peter and MJ leave after about an hour. The couple have begun wondering what's going on, but have respected her seeming desire for more privacy.

Where do we find our hero now? Well, the movie Mary Jane was filming throughout this story-arc is finally completed and released, and she will be attending the New York premiere. Peter is able to be with her at this huge event, and we now find the young couple heading to the red carpet, Peter especially unsure of himself since this is the first time he can recall that he's going to be subject to the paparazzi that MJ has had to put up with over the years.

We'll join our hero and his lady love soon. But for now, let's check in with Aunt May at her Forest Hills home and see just what she's been up to.

The stacks of paper had piled up all around the kitchen. 7500 to be exact.

May Parker wrapped up her counting and smiled, as she took a seat at the kitchen table and digested her evening pills. She had finally figured out the best way to help Peter out, to make sure he wouldn't get smeared in the media anymore because of his superhero deal. Oh sure, she had written to the newspapers at first, and then she had gone to talk to the media in person, trying to influence them, but it hadn't really worked. For a while, she had put this idea of trying to rehabilitate Peter's image on the backburner, but it all came rushing back when she heard the news about Peter's daughter possibly being alive.

Why? Well, her nephew was a good man. She and Ben had raised him to be that way, and even if Peter was OK with the smearing and didn't care about his reputation, she knew that any child of Peter's didn't deserve to have to see and read about her father in such slanderous and abusive terms. Kids were young, they didn't understand, and it might scar them or cause them problems in school and with friends. That motivation had got May to thinking about a more effective way to do this thing.

And then one day, she had gotten an idea, and ran with it. There was no better way for her to change Peter's status quo as a vigilante and an outlaw, than this way. It was going to be a huge task, especially at her age, but she was confident she could pull it off. Hadn't she been through so many things already, and still survived? Otto, Nathan…her being the Herald of Galatus…the kidnapping. And of course, Peter's revelation.

She was a little guilty that she had been keeping this from Peter, but she wanted to surprise him with it. When he found out what she had in mind, she hoped he wouldn't mind. There was no better vehicle for this sort of thing.

Besides, wasn't he keeping his biggest secret from you for all those years?

May shuddered and flushed out such thoughts from her mind, as she heard the doorbell ring. She stood up and walked to the door, and gasped as she saw who…or what…stood there before her…and what the person was holding.

Manhattan, NY

"Oh Peter, brighten up, you're going to love this," exclaimed Mary Jane.

Peter looked at her for a moment. She was wearing a dazzling, glittering silver dress which had a plunging neckline (that seemed to be all the rage in Hollywood these days). The dress went up to her knees, below which she wore silver high heeled shoes. Peter held up his hand to the shoes and waved at them, his reflection waving back at him.

"Hey," he mused. "I can see myself in your feet."

Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you less nervous, Tiger," she said, leaning back into her seat.

The two of them were in a limo, heading for the premiere of MJ's movie that was going to be released tonight. The producer had asked MJ to fly out to LA for the premiere out there, and Peter wasn't sure if he could go out with her there due to not having any more school days to miss, but Randy Robertson, who had gotten into the acting world himself lately, had offered to Peter to serve as MJ's date for the event, and MJ had agreed. Originally, MJ had offered to go alone, but Peter was OK with it. Actually he knew the real reason why Randy was interested in going—to try to see if he could fix things up with his ex-wife, Mandy, who was still out in California.

As Peter poked around the limo, playing with the flashing lights and checking out the TV, MJ poured a single glass of wine for the two of them. She knew Peter didn't really drink, as he always wanted to be on his toes if he had to go into action, but she figured a few sips wouldn't hurt him, and they could share a glass.

As she raised the glass to her lips, the limo suddenly screeched to a halt and the wine spilled over her dress. "Damn!" she yelled out. She then jumped to the partition, opening it swiftly, and prepared to yell at the driver when she saw what had caused them to screech.

A line of police cars were blocking off the road, and a few cops were running in front of the limo. One came to the door and began to ask the limo what his business was and who his passengers were. Mary Jane decided it was time to take the initiative. She tugged on Peter as she put the wine glass down, opened the door and stepped out.

"Hi boys," she exclaimed, the wine glass still in her hand. She gave the cop a dazzling smile. "Sorry to be giving you trouble. My husband and I are just trying to get to the premiere where we're supposed to be. You guys know me, right? Mary Jane Watson-Parker? The ghost in Angels from Hell?"

The cop eyed her for a second, then stared at the widening stain on her dress from the wine spill. He smirked. "Yeah, I think I heard about that. Well, sorry to spoil your fun, but we've closed off the 495 bridge going in. Maybe try the Williamsburg?"

MJ groaned. "You're kidding. What happened?"

The cop shrugged. "We're still waiting to hear the full story of what went down, but it sounds like an idiot on a boat ignored the water tower staff and just tried to fit it under the bridge, but ended up ramming it. So now he's just sitting there, while traffic is backing up." He pointed to the traffic in front of them and behind them, which she and Peter hadn't noticed until now.

MJ's shoulders sagged, and she looked down. Peter though, wore a determined look on his face. He turned back to the driver, pulled out a $100 bill, and then walked away with MJ to 50th and 21st.

They stared at a subway sign. "Subway will be closed today, please use the bus service." Peter looked back at MJ, then he got an idea. She was going to hate this, but he didn't want to let his wife down. He knew how important this movie premiere was to her, and he'd make sure that she'd make it, bridge accident be damned.

"Hang on, MJ" he said, smiling. "I know how we'll get you there."

MJ froze. "Oh no, tiger. Please, it's only going to—"

Before she could say anything further, Peter had ducked into the abandoned train station and was now coming out in his Spider-Man costume.

MJ sighed and smiled. "Well, this should be interesting," she said, as she grabbed onto her husband.

"Hey, look on the bright side honey," Peter said. "The stain will probably dry in the wind." MJ playfully slapped him, and then they took off.

The police and the limo driver looked up in surprise as they saw Spider-Man taking the actress they had been dealing with just moments ago, past the bridge, web-swinging above all the traffic. "Sorry boys," she yelled out. "Busted bridges don't stop Mary Jane Watson-Parker!"

As Peter swung through the air with his wife in arms, she looked around, fascinated. Even though they had made it a tradition after their marriage to go on a web-swinging date at least once a month, this still never ceased to amaze her. She shivered slightly, and as Peter maneuvered he threw his coat over her.

"Peter, I spent two hours ironing that thing," she moaned.

Spider-Man looked at his wife. "Come on, honey. Priorities. Movie premiere, or ruffled tux?"

After a few more swings, the two came down, literally crashing right into the premiere, just as Joan Rivers herself was standing on the red carpet.

Joan Freakin' Rivers? Peter mused. Oh boy, I wonder how MJ is gonna get out of this one.

Spider-Man looked at his wife, who exchanged glances with him, looking panicked. But before she could say anything, he took off just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Mary Jane to fend for herself with the brash, inquisitive, red-carpet-expert. Joan's jaw dropped, and then she looked at Mary Jane, recovering and shoving a mic in her face.

"WELL, THAT HAS TO RANK UP THERE AS ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC ENTRANCES OF ALL TIME! WOW, I'm JUST AMAZED! AMAZED! MARY JANE WATSON, I'M JOAN RIVERS, WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK! BUT WHAT AM I SAYING? YOU KNOW ME, DON'TCHA?" Joan proceeded to wink knowingly and playfully elbowed an increasingly bewildered MJ, as cameras flashed all around. "WELCOME TO CLEARVIEW CHELSEA CINEMAS, WHERE TONIGHT THEY'LL BE PREMIERING YOUR FIRST MAJOR STARRING ROLE IN A FILM! BUT FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO SEE THIS LITTLE OUTFIT YOU'VE GOT HERE!"

Mary Jane, still out of breath from her brief little jaunt, gave Joan a wan smile and curtsied. The cameras flashed ridiculously as her co-stars, who were up ahead by the door of the theater, looked back in surprise. She was clearly stealing their thunder, and a few of them looked furious.

Joan stepped behind MJ, the cameras following her and focusing on the backless portion of the dress. As Joan stepped past MJ, she whispered "I see you've got a dirty dress there. What were you thinking, chica?" But then she stepped back around and looked back at MJ. "BUT ENOUGH OF THAT! YOU'RE HANGING AROUND WITH SPIDER-MAN! IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TO? JUICY, JUICY STUFF I THINK!"

Mary Jane gulped. Now this is a little bit of a pickle that I've never been in before. For those of you keeping count at home, I still haven't said a word. As Mary Jane cleared her throat and prepared to say something, she was interrupted again.

"As a matter of fact," said Melissa Rivers, Joan's daughter, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, "If you read today's Daily Globe, they've done a huge feature on you, showing the many pictures of you with Spider-Man over the years. Mary Jane, you must have so much to tell us, right?"

Well, so much for saying something. MJ found herself at a loss for words. She had decided to wear a mask a few times when swinging around with Peter, but there had been plenty of other times where she had forgone it, thinking no one would be able to make out her face up so high in the sky.

So much for that. Someone had just apparently cashed in years' worth of pictures of her swinging around with Peter. Makes Jonah look like an amateur by comparison. Character assassination 101.

Before she could speak, she was interrupted again, this time by Joan.

"OH WAIT A MINUTE? IS THAT THE HUSBAND? COME HERE, COME HERE, COME INTO THE LIGHT, AND SMILE FOR THE CAMERAS, SO THE WORLD CAN SEE YOUR HANDSOME FACE!"

Peter??? Ugh, perfect timing.

"Oh, the lovely Joan Rivers! Yeah, I've been a huge fan for years," said Peter, who must have just nudged his way through after changing back into the tuxedo. He stepped into the spotlight and wrapped an arm around MJ's waist and smiled as the cameras went off. What the hell? MJ was stunned that Peter had somehow managed to come to her rescue so quickly. "Joan...I hate to bother you...but..." Peter pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, smiled, and pushed it at Joan, his eyes twinkling. "Can I have your autograph?" Well, he certainly seems to be handling this better than I am.

Joan was finally caught off guard, but recovered immediately. "OF COURSE, OF COURSE! THE PLEASURE'S ALL MINE!" With that, she shoved the mic at the cameraman and told him to hang onto it, as she became occupied, but Peter and MJ weren't out of the clear just yet. Melissa cornered the couple again as her mother worked on an autograph (and a long message too, apparently).

"So, now that we've got both of you here," she said, smiling mischievously. "Peter, how do you feel about your wife swinging around with Spider-Man? I mean, surely you must be aware of this, right? It's been going on for years under your nose, and hell...they've been kissing, and you're OK with it? Or is there more to the story than--"

Peter cut her off and grabbed the mic from Melissa, whose jaw dropped, and then he turned to the camera. This was become too much of a spectacle now, but MJ had a feeling Peter was going to cook up a great story. "Thank you, Melissa," he said, nodding at the visibly furious hostess. Joan, meanwhile, continued to scribble away on the pad. Peter looked directly into the camera now, putting on an act. He pulled MJ close to him, and began talking. "Well folks, I've got a confession to make, and I may as well make it on live TV."

He became very serious and looked down. "I'm Spider-Man..."

He trailed off, and the cameras continued to flash but the crowd had gone dead silent and Mary Jane turned white as a sheet. Peter, what are you doing!?!?!?

"...'s photographer!" he finished, grinning, and the crowd roared with laughter. He winked at his wife, and then bowed to the crowd. Melissa looked embarrassed now. Peter was stealing her buzz. "That's right, I'm his photographer, and so the reason why you've seen my lovely wife in the air and locking lips with the wall-crawler is because we needed the money. Yeah, it was me who sold those pictures to the Globe. You've all probably seen my work at the Bugle, but I've kind of moved on from them so I figured why not help out the rival company a little bit, ruffle my old boss' feathers a little." He stopped for a minute, letting that sink in. Jameson was not going to like that comment.

Peter shrugged and continued, twirling the mic in his hands. "My wife and I know Spider-Man pretty well, and so one day a few years back I talked to him about the economy, what people should do when times get hard, all that good stuff...and then I jokingly said well, if my wife ever becomes a big Hollywood star some day, maybe I'll take some compromising pictures of her and sell them to the papers. So we kept the joke going a bit. I asked Spidey if he wouldn't mind kissing her in a few, swinging around with her a bit, and I'd take the shots. It carried on. Every year or so we did this. I saved 'em up over time. Just some fun between friends. Well, times are hard now, before today and the nice advance check that MJ got for this film, we could barely make ends meet. So last month I figured it would be a nice way to drum up some publicity for my wife for her movie, and I put these out there. Spidey didn't know, my wife didn't know. I guess the ruse is up, though."

He looked around at the crowd, which had fallen silent again but was somber now. "I just want to ask everyone, if you were in my shoes, what would you do?" He waited for a response, but got none. He then produced a check from his pocket, and MJ gasped as she glimpsed the amount. "So as compensation, I'm returning the money I earned and then some for the sale of these pictures back to the Globe." As he put the check back in his pocket, he then looked MJ in the eyes. "I don't want to ruin my wife's reputation for something she didn't do. I trust her implicitly, and I'll take the rap here, but she shouldn't have to suffer and be slandered because of my stupid decision. I love her." He then swooped down and kissed his wife in dramatic fashion, cameras clicking and flashing as the crowd cheered and some rowdier folks boorishly encouraged Peter.

With that, Peter and MJ finally continued into the theater, leaving the Rivers sisters behind, but not before Peter swiped the pad back from Joan and blew her a kiss. "By the way, I loved your roast!" he added.

As they walked hand-in-hand into the dark tunnel that connected into the main theater hall, Mary Jane smiled at Peter. "What you did back there...that means more to me than any rescue you've pulled off over the years. Thank you, tiger," she said in a low voice, stopping to kiss her husband gently on the cheek.

Peter smiled as they continued. "Well, money-grubbing husband sounds a lot tamer than cheating-newbie-supermodel-turned-actress," he said, chuckling. "And you know me...I've been thinking up convoluted stories for years, and I had that one sitting on the backburner. I was serious though, I don't want you to miss out on your dreams because of some idiot papparazzo. No one should ever imply that you were unfaithful to me, or anything like that. And I'm willing to be vilified in the national entertainment media if necessary." His face darkened. "That doesn't solve the issue though, that someone has been taking pictures of us for years, and decided it was a good time to try and ruin you just as you were about to hit it big."

"Let's try not to think about it right now," MJ responded, shaking her head as they entered the hall, packed with other well-dressed, rich and famous folks. Mary Jane waved around the hall with a flourish. "Just enjoy the show and spectacle."

Butner Correctional Complex, NC

"Mr. Fisk, you have a visitor."

The former Kingpin of crime heard the prison hall's door slam open and the tentative noise of walking come his way. Immediately, he stood up. He could tell by the pace exactly who it was, and why she was here. After six months, here was his chance to make things right. Here was his chance to repent for his sins. He would apologize to her, they would work it out, and somehow, someway, when he got out of here he would make sure never to hurt her feelings again. He would also be a better role model for their daughter.

He winced for a moment. His eyesight had slowly been coming back, unbelievably. The facility's physician had described it as nothing short of a miracle, and Wilson felt that somehow God was giving him a second chance.

Vanessa showing up after so long seemed to be confirmation of that.

Wilson wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, but for a moment he almost thought he could make out his wife's outline.

"Hello Wilson," she said from behind the bars. "It's been a long time."

Fisk was surprised for a moment. She sounded so weak, so lifeless. What had happened? Was it the guilt? Had she been beating herself over this thing as much as he had?

"Vanessa, my love," he began. "I'm so sorry. If I had known what you were going through, if I would have listened, been a better husband...a better father...not tried to deceive you so much, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Just you see, when I get out of here, things will be different."

Vanessa began sobbing openly, shocking Wilson. "No Wilson, no," she said. "There won't be a next time. Things aren't going to be different. This is it. This is the last time. It's all over."

In his surprise, Wilson managed to only utter "What..."

The Kingpin had killed men with his bare hands. He had ordered the deaths of countless others. He had prided himself on being tough and manly since he was in school. He had stood up to superheroes and spat in the faces of supervillains. But nothing could have prepared him for what Vanessa revealed next.

"I have cancer, Wilson!" she blurted out.

He stared at her, wide-eyed, and suddenly he could see her clearly. She was still beautiful, but she looked more frail than she had ever been. Her once beautiful hair was now clearly replaced by a wig. Bags of sleeplessness were visible under her eyes. This was the first thing Wilson Fisk was seeing in a year since he had been shot and lost his eyesight.

And then, what happened next would scar him for life.

Vanessa stopped sobbing and looked as though she was steeling herself for something else. She briefly looked at the floor, then she looked back at her husband. "I'm going to die, Wilson," she said. "But because of all the misery you put me through, I figured I shouldn't have to die slowly. And I wanted a better life for the kid. So I gave her away." Surprisingly, Fisk found himself uncaring about the child at this point. Her importance paled in comparison to his wife. She smiled, and to Wilson's surprise it didn't seem forced. "You know, I've always wondered about the things I would do if I knew I was going to die the next day. And what do you know...now, I've got nothing left, darling. I've got nothing to lose, expect maybe another few weeks. So I'm going to repay you for everything you've never given me." She pulled out a gun that she had somehow concealed and snuck in, and Wilson suddenly heard the yell of guards as they saw the glint of it and began to run towards her.

"Goodbye, Wilson," she said. Fisk closed his eyes and held his hands up to his face, and heard the bullet ring. He recoiled, waiting for his life to end, waiting for the bullet to rip through, waiting for him to pay for everything he had done to his wife.

It never happened. Wilson opened his eyes and looked down at the ground.

As the guards reached the Kingpin's cell, they found Vanessa Fisk lying outside of it on the floor, the gun still smoking in her hand and a pool of blood forming near her head. And the Kingpin, sitting in the corner, silent, expressionless, in some sort of shock.

The mob bosses would later comment that it was the greatest irony ever--that on the day Wilson Fisk regained his eyesight, he lost his voice. Indeed, Wilson Fisk, witnessing the scene that had taken place in front of him, never spoke again to anyone.

After his wife's suicide in front of his own eyes, done to spite him, he had nothing to say anymore.

Manhattan, NY

"Oh, stop it!" giggled Mary Jane, as she and her husband stepped out of the cab. It was 2AM, and they had just gotten back from the premiere.

"Anytime you wish it, you may call for me," said Peter in a high-pitched voice. He had been trying to imitate his wife's lines in her film on the way back from the premiere. They had taken the limo to about halfway through the ride home, and then had gotten off and taken a cab the rest of the way. As the two giggled, making their way into the complex, Peter swooped his wife up and grinned at her suggestively. "Would the lady like to celebrate our latest triumph over the evil forces of entertainment with a luxurious bath, perhaps?" MJ smiled back, and as the two reached their door, Peter held his wife up with one hand and fumbled around for his keys with another. Mary Jane looked at him with mock-amazement.

"Wow, you're sooo strong!" she commented. Peter chuckled as he found the key and brought it to the knob.

But then he noticed it was unlocked. He stopped and looked at his wife, and put her down. He pulled her behind him, counted down, and then kicked the door open, tensing for action.

Instead, he found a sight that he was not expecting.

Aunt May sat in their living room with a baby in her arms. She smiled happily. "Peter," she said, standing up and holding the child up to him. "You know who this is."

He gasped. Could this really be? After almost two years?

Mary Jane came forward and joined him, touching the child. Neither husband nor wife seemed to comprehend what was happening. Peter then broke the silence, finally managing to speak. "Aunt May, how--?"

His aunt smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I wish I could say this was what I was working on for the past six months," she said. "But actually, you shouldn't be thanking me." An awkward expression came over her face, and then she almost became embarrassed.

"Aunt May," asked Mary Jane, brushing the tears away as she looked at the girl who so closely resembled her and her husband, quietly asleep. "I hate to ask, but is this some kind of a trick?"

"No, it's not," a voice suddenly boomed from the living room. Peter pulled May and MJ behind him and looked down the hall. A tall figure emerged in the shadows, and revealed himself in the light. "And I've got the DNA test results to prove it."

Long bushy hair...beard...disfigured skin...trench coat...black gloves...and those eyes that so perfectly reminded Peter of his own.

Kaine smiled at Peter and his wife. "Hello, brother."

That's right true believers, not only has Baby May finally been reunited with her parents, but now....KAINE has returned!!!!! You all remember the "other" clone of Peter Parker, don't you? So many questions though! Is he back for good? What happened between him and Aunt May? Are Peter and Mary Jane going to be able to handle finally getting Baby May back after finally moving on? How will they explain her re-surfacing to the world at large? Won't it only re-ignite controversy around Mary Jane's budding acting career? And finally, Aunt May reveals her big secret next issue which will have huge implications for our wall-crawler! "The Face on the Milk Carton" may have ended here, but we're just getting warmed up! So be here next time and we assure you, ALL will be laid bare in "Explanations," issue #166 of PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN! Now get cracking on those reviews and letters!!!!

On a side note, I know it took almost exactly five years to finish this storyline, but I want to thank everyone that took the time to read it and especially to those who left a review. Please, by all means, leave your feedback, positive or negative. I hope I've improved as a writer over the years, and I hope this story does Spider-Man and his mythos the justice it deserves.