Behind the Mask

Chase draped his arm over my shoulders after we got out of his police cruiser. We walked down the block to my parent's place. "So your dad is a retired officer?"

"Yes, so the two of you can have a dandy old time chatting about your glory days, okay?"

Chase snickered at my attitude. "Why are you so wound up? It's just your parents."

I shrugged his arm off of me. "You don't get it. I haven't spoken to them since that night, and you didn't give me any time to --"

"Liv, relax." He pulled me to the side just before the steps. "Everything will be fine."

I rolled my tongue over my teeth, wondering what it was that made me so nervous about facing them. I thought it might have been Chase, and having to introduce him to them, but that didn't worry me at all.

He caught me off guard when he kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that clouded my judgement and helped me forget about everything else. Damn him for being such a good kisser.

I took a deep breath before I rang the doorbell. Mom opened the door and cracked one of her biggest smiles. She stared at me for a few seconds. "Hi, sweetie."

The moment I saw that smile I gave in and buried myself deep in her chest. She hugged me tight, and I breathed in the lovely scent of her perfume. I didn't know why I was dreading seeing her again.

I remembered Chase and leaned out of the hug. "Oh, this is --"

"Chase, right? I spoke with him on the phone." She offered her hand to him in a greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. O'Neil." He didn't hesitate in kissing her cheek. Mom blushed and giggled like a school girl, and I mentally slapped myself in the head.

"Where's Dad?" I asked, once we were inside. It was the same house Greg and I grew up in, and it hadn't changed a bit since we both moved out.

"Take a guess." Mom pointed with her eyes to the back deck, where Dad was undoubtedly grilling some burgers. "Can I get you something to drink, Chase? Soda, homemade lemonade, maybe a beer?"

"Uh..." He glanced at me and saw the you-better-watch-yourself look on my face. "I'll have a Coke, please."

I smirked, actually proud of him for a change. "Me too, Mom." I skipped out to the back to find Dad.

The mouthwatering aroma of the grill always made me smile. Dad flipped the few burgers and turned when he heard the sliding door close. His eyes crinkled with crow's feet. "Oh, I'm sorry, do I know you?"

I half rolled my eyes. "No, I just smelled the food and decided to stop by."

Dad set down his spatula and walked up to me with that stupid chef's apron Greg and I got him for Father's Day. "Well, my name is Dad."

I hugged him around his belly and chuckled to myself. "I love you."

"Love you too, kid. Took you long enough to get here. I'm hungry, let's eat."

Mom had the table set the same way she did when we were kids, including a fresh bunch of sunflowers as the centerpiece. Those were always her favorite. Mom was the one to inform dad of Chase's occupation, and the two of them were lost in NYPD land in less than a minute.

"He's such a nice guy." Mom gushed to me in a low voice. "Where on Earth did you find him?"

I picked at my hamburger bun. "He was one of the officers that came to my apartment..."

She looked up at Chase and nodded. "I see."

I watched how animated my father was with Chase, and it reminded me of the way he and Greg would go on and on about the nonsense people go through to get arrested these days. I also noticed Chase's glass of Coke -- well, actually his third glass of Coke. When he wasn't drunk or pressured to drink, he was great, and funny, and kind. A good guy, even. That's what I must have saw in him when we met.

The realization only made my head start throbbing. After dinner, Dad and Chase stayed seated at the table as Mom and I cleaned up. They talked for over an hour about things I didn't understand. At one point, I heard Dad's special laugh, and my heart melted. He only ever laughed that way when he was having the best time of his life, and I hadn't heard it since Greg died.

Why was this happening to me?

Mom brought me a cup of tea and joined me on the sofa. The news on TV acted as background noise, along with Chase and Dad's heated conversation about the K-9 unit.

"What's wrong?"

I drew my eyes up to Mom. "Huh?"

"You look like something's bothering you." She pulled a blanket from behind the sofa and covered us both with it.

I decided to come up with something brilliant, and humor myself along the way. "I'm just confused on what career path I should be taking," I pinned Chase to photography and Peter to writing. "I like taking pictures, but I feel like I can't give up writing."

Mom pursed her lips in thought. "Well, you know your dad and I support whatever you decide." I nodded my head. "You're a very talented photographer. You always have been, ever since we bought you that ditigal camera for your twelfth birthday. You're also a gifted writer, and those are hard to come by these days."

I tried to straighten out my scenario in my head. "So what are you trying to say?"

"Photography is nice, but it isn't as dependable. I would want you to have something as sturdy and reliable as writing to get you off to a good start, and then have your camera to fall back on. Even though both make you happy, you should choose what's best for yourself."

It still didn't settle with me. I was supposed to choose what was best for myself, and Mom thought writing (or Peter) was more 'reliable'? How could he be more reliable if he was flying through the streets and stopping evil every day? My analogy failed.

A breaking news feed flashed across the TV screen. Mom increased the volume enough to hear over the loud mouths in the kitchen.

*The bank on 23rd street is currently being held up by a masked clan of criminals. Chopper 9 is overhead, viewing the scene as the authorities are arriving on location. Witnesses say that there are hostages inside, and none have been released. The suspects and hostages have been inside the bank for a little over twenty minutes. We will keep you updated on this incident as we receive more information.*

"Wow," Chase snapped his work phone off of his hip. "They never called me in."

"That's what happens when you're off duty." Dad teases. "Miss out on all the fun."

*...word that the suspects are not asking for money, but for a private meeting with New York's own Spiderman.*

"What?" I asked frantically. "Did you hear that? What did she say?"

Mom shushed me.

*Again, we've just been informed that the suspects refuse to release any hostages unless Spiderman makes an appearance. No word yet on the motive here, but police are questioning whether the suspects are acting on their dislike for the masked hero.*

I stood up from the sofa, my limbs rigid in complete panic. "Oh, my god!"

"Ridiculous." Mom said. "Those poor people are being held against their will for some kind of silly revenge stunt."

Chase snickered. "The Spider finally gets to meet with some of his real enemies."

No one was as concerned as I was. "He can't go! He can't do it, they'll kill him!"

"It's alright, babe." Chase stretched in his chair. "We'll handle it before he even gets there, as usual."

I needed an excuse, anything I could come up with. "Chase, I think it's time we get going. When's the last time you fed Onyx?"

"She's staying at the station for training this week, remember?"

I needed something else. "Yeah, I remember. I really need to get home, though. I have to get up early tomorrow for my shift at Toy's 'R Us."

Chase sighed dramatically and rose from his chair. "Alright, alright. Thank you very much for having us."

My parents gave him all their love, but spared some for me as well. It took much longer than necessary. I was speed walking back to the cruiser. Chase had to jog to catch up.

"See? It wasn't that bad. Your parents are great."

"Yeah, I know." I hurried around to the passenger side and got in. Chase was moving at the pace of a grandfather snail.

"Liv, you're shaking." He covered my hand with his, his brain still far away from the ignition.

"I'm fine. I just want to get home."

He wasn't convinced, but got us moving anyway. He kept having to adjust his speed as I raced to the elevators. "What's your rush?"

"I don't feel well. My headache is bothering me." I kept my head low when I stepped in the elevator.

Chase followed behind and pressed the button for the third floor. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" I snapped at him.

Someone stuck their foot in the doors just before they closed. I was ready to shoot the person a death glare for slowing me down, but I couldn't believe who it was.

Peter's eyes met mine instantly. "Hey."

I just stared at him in complete bewilderment.

He wrinkled his brow at my weirdness and stepped inside, hitting the fifth floor button. "You okay?"

I swallowed harshly and nodded my head. I didn't notice Chase was holding my hand until the elevator started moving. Peter stood on the farther side, trying not to invade my space.

I snuck my eyes up his arm and to the neck of his shirt. I could just barely see the hem of the suit sticking out the top, but it was only because I knew it was there. Could he have really handled that mess already, and come out without a scratch?

We stopped on the third floor, and I let Chase go ahead of me. I jerked my head back to give Peter a what-the-hell look. He just smiled at me, and the doors closed over him.

I was completely distracted back in my apartment. I stood in the middle of the room, picking at my nailpolish and trying to figure out what was going on.

Chase eventually approached me and took both my hands in his. He led me to my bedroom, where the sheets were pulled back for the two of us. He stopped me by the edge and locked his fingers in my hair.

"I don't know what's bugging you," He leaned forward to press his lips to my jawline. "But whatever it is, I'll make it go away."

I shivered as his lips trailed down my neck, kissing the entire length of it. I couldn't decide if it was a good shiver or a bad one. He didn't give me a chance to figure it out, because he continued on and traced my collar bone.

I stopped him and lifted his face to kiss my lips again so I had time to think. He guided my body down on the bed, hovering over me while we kissed. I felt his knee nudge my legs apart, and thats when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Coffee." I breathed, pushing his shoulders away. "I don't have any coffee for tomorrow morning."

Chase looked confused. "You don't drink coffee?"

"Yes, but you do, and I know you like it, and you have to have it, so I need to go get coffee now." I slipped out from that dangerous contraption and pulled on my shoes.

"But, Liv, it's almost ten o'clock. I don't need it. " Chase was left lying in bed.

"I'll just run to the store down the street. I'll be back in ten minutes." I didn't give him a chance to complain before I was gone.

I knocked on the door to Peter's apartment, flustered and exhausted and in need of answers. He opened the door just as fast, wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

He rubbed a towel over his hair, fresh from the shower. "Hi."

As if I wasn't flustered enough. "Hi? That's all you have to say?"

He leaned against the doorframe with a comical smirk. "You were worried about me, weren't you?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. "What the hell happened?"

He looked down at the ground and laughed a little. "It was funny, actually. They were all wearing cheap Spiderman masks, like they were mocking me."

"Peter, it's not funny! They could have killed you!"

"But they didn't." He told me. "Everybody's safe, no worries."

I saw the playful look in his eyes and the relaxed frame of his body. He wasn't phased a bit, and it just blew my mind. "You're nuts."

He sucked air through his teeth. "I'm allergic to nuts."

I almost fell for the joke, but I found myself smiling with him. The exhaustion was catching back up with me.

Peter tilted his head curiously, pointing to something on my neck. "What's that?"

I touched my fingers to my skin. "What's what?"

"You have a little, um," He pointed to his own neck. "It's red." He decided.

My stomach literally flipped upside down twice and then exploded. I laughed with meaningless he-he's. Dammit, Chase!

Peter's smile softened and he started to close his door over. "Goodnight, Olivia."

"Wait!" I held the door open with a guilty look on my face. "Do you have any coffee that I can borrow?"