Title: Merry Christmas

Author: Jenn

Summary: On Christmas Eve, a conversation that has an effect on two very different teens. Before the first movie.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Maybe for the first movie.

Timeline: Christmas time during Peter and Mary Jane's senior year. Five months before SM1.

Category: General

Feedback: Always happy to hear what readers have to say.

Archive: Anywhere, but please ask me first. I would like to know where it's going and to make sure it will have my name on it.

Disclaimers: They're not mine. Stan Lee and Marvel own them. Not making one penny for this story. This fic is just for enjoyment.

Thoughts are in italics.

"Good night, Flash," Mary Jane Watson said to her boyfriend of two weeks. Putting her hand on the door handle, she started to turn it.

Flash Thompson put his hand over hers to stop her. "Comon' M. J., we…we couldda gooo somewhere…" his words were slightly slurred.

Removing her hand and scooting closer to the door, Mary Jane said firmly, "No, thanks."

Flash changed tactics. "I could finnnd some…one else."

"Do whatever you want. Good night." Opening the door before her boyfriend pulled anything else, M.J. got out of the car.

Gunning his father's car more then he should, Flash left in a cloud of smoke.

Closing her eyes, Mary Jane sighed. What had she just done? Even though she did not really like Flash much, he was part of the 'in' crowd, one of most poplar guys at school.

Flash Thompson was good looking, athletic, and cool. Everything every girl in Midtown would love to have in a boyfriend. But he chose her, and to top that off, her dad liked him. But that could all be finished now.

"Merry Christmas."

Mary Jane's head whiped toward her neighbor's house. She was not sure if she had heard anything, she also did not see anyone.

"Who's there?" Good one M. J., she thought to herself. If it's a serial killer just make it easier on him.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to frighten you." The voice was quiet, but familiar. A moment later, Mary Jane saw that it was a fellow classmate as well as her neighbor, Peter Parker. He stepped off his porch.

Peter had been hiding in the shadows of his front porch. Since he had nothing better to do this Christmas Eve, he thought he would come outside. It was cold, freezing, really, but he wanted to look at the stars. There were not many out, because of the clouds.

Smiling with relief, Mary Jane shook her head, no. "I'm fine. How come you didn't turn on your lights?" She was referring to the outside lights that Peter and his uncle Ben had a hassle putting up the day after Thanksgiving.

Peter had done the more dangerous part of the job of putting up the Christmas decorations. They did not need Uncle Ben to injure himself and have to take time off of his job as the senior electrician where he worked. Considering how klutzy he was, it was a miracle that Peter had not ended up in the hospital.

Shrugging, Peter did not know what to say to M.J. He never knew what to say. There was something he wished he could say, but he knew he never would. A three word phrase that was as old as time. I love you.

Mary Jane didn't feel like going into her house yet. If her father, Phil, was not drinking, or most likely drunk; he would be passed out on couch sleeping. Sooner or later, he'd want to know what happened with Flash tonight. Which she could sum up as, "There was a party with everyone drinking and the usual stuff."

Everyone had at least one drink there, everyone but M.J. She only acted like she was drinking. She could not stand the taste or smell of beer. Most of her life had been around that garbage.

But now she wondered what she could talk to Peter about, they did not have anything in common. And Peter was always quiet in school, except during class. But most of his classes were ones that Mary Jane could not pronounce let alone be in.

Noticing the Parkers' Oldsmobile gone, M.J. asked, "Where's your aunt and uncle?"

"At a party. Uncle Ben's work is hosting it."

Walking over to Peter, Mary Jane stopped a few feet away from him. "You said 'Merry Christmas', earlier. It's not Christmas yet." Is it? With the party at Hoops' place it could really be 3:00 AM.

Glancing at his watch, Peter said, "It's 12:15." He had not looked up when he said this.

"What were you doing out here?"

What is this, Twenty Questions? Peter wondered. He could not complain, he was having a real conversation with Mary Jane.

"Just looking at stars."

"Hum. Wonder what's out tonight."

"I have not seen any of the star constellations yet. To many clouds."

"Maybe we'll have a white Christmas."

"Maybe."

"It feels like it could snow!"

Peter nodded in agreement.

Mary Jane looked at Peter. She did not see anything different about him. With his black glasses, she never could tell what his eye color was. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul; if that was the case, M.J. could not see Peter's.

"You know," she said more in thought then directly at him, "if you changed some things, everyone in school may not be so hard on you."

"Oh? Like what?" Peter was curious with what his pretty redheaded neighbor had to say.

"Maybe some new clothes, contacts to replace your glasses, and a different hairstyle."

"I see." Peter was not sure whether to be angry, hurt, or disappointed. If changing himself could get M.J. to notice him, he would do it in a heartbeat. But there was a part of him, deep down inside that wondered if Mary Jane could like and accept him, for just who he was, Peter Parker, the class nerd.

Turning his back to M. J., Peter said, "I hope you get everything you want tomorrow."

Something told Mary Jane that she had said something wrong. There was something in Peter's tone that sounded…hurt.

"Peter," she grabbed his arm to stop him as he started to walk away. He stopped, but did not turn around. Letting go of his arm, M.J. moved in front of Peter so she was facing him.

Peter's face was expressionless. Not knowing what to say, Mary Jane simply said, "I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

Mary Jane barely heard the words, but she did. Letting out a breath of cold air, she said. "I know I shouldn't tell you what to look like. If you're happy with yourself, then that's what matters."

"Are you?" Peter repeated himself. Not because he did not have anything to say, but he wondered if M.J. took her own words to heart.

"What?"

"Are you happy with yourself?"

Mary Jane really looked at Peter. He was dead serious. "Yeah." But it sounded hollow even to her own ears.

Was she happy doing the party scene and being one of the most poplar girls in school? She had everything she ever wanted. That is she still would if she was dating Flash when school resumed. If that was case, why did she feel like she could not really be herself?

Feeling something cold hit her nose, Mary Jane looked up. One by one, snowflakes descended from the sky. Laughing, she stuck her tongue out and tasted one.

Peter could not help but smiling at the scene she made. She looked like a young girl. More like how she wanted to be and not what everyone else wanted.

Watching the woman he loved, Peter knew that M.J. did have her flaws. No one was perfect. But with Mary Jane Watson, she was very close. To Peter, she was an angel in human form.

"We just may get snow for morning."

"We just might." Peter still smiled.

Mary Jane thought Peter looked different smiling like he was now. She had not really noticed. But his grin was so boyish, it reminded her of when they where kids.

It's too bad we aren't still young, everything was so different then.

Pushing aside any thoughts of whether or not she was happy with how things were now, Mary Jane had to say she was happy right this minute. She could forget for a little bit about the peer pressure at school, her boyfriend, and her father.

No words were said as Peter and Mary Jane watched the snow fall. Whether they where cold or not, they did not feel it. It was just nice to be with someone, a friend, to enjoy it with. Today there was peace on earth.

If a minute or an hour had passed, neither teen was sure. But when they heard a car coming toward the house, then the all too familiar Oldsmobile turn into the driveway, time had indeed continued.

"I should go." Mary Jane walked around Peter and turned to go. Stopping, M.J. looked over her shoulder at Peter who had turned toward her, and said, "Merry Christmas, Tiger."

Peter's could not move his mouth to reply. How was it he was able to talk to her before and now just clammed up again?

Ben and May Parker watched Mary Jane head to her house. Then they looked over at their nephew. It was like Peter was a statue. But then, when Mary Jane Watson was around, Peter never was himself.

The End

Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews to my other Spider-Man fics.

I'm trying to work on some longer stories, but it's not easy, but I'm so glad SM2 come out. It's going to be a big help.

Please Review. Jenn