DECEMBER 1, 2024: PETER PAN CAFE
(Beta Version 01) Michelle blinked and put down the phone she had to her ear for some reason. Wasn't she just at MIT in a lab? She looked at Ned at the counter on his cell, looking just as confused.
Just then, a boy entered the shop; he took a deep breath and said, "Hi, my name is Peter Parker, and..." He seemed to look over at her, and Ned then sighed and said, "And I would like a Coffee."
(Beta Version 01) Michelle stared at Peter as she tried to figure out what had just happened, with a look of confusion and panic.
"What just happened?" (Beta Version 01) Ned said a little louder than he meant to.
"I don't know" (Beta Version 01) MJ said. "My head is all..."
"MJ, Ned, are you two all right?" Peter said with concern.
(Beta Version 01) MJ held her head briefly and said, "Yeah, I think we will be fine; I..." She looked at Peter with questioning eyes. "How do you know our names?"
(Beta Version 01) Ned responded, "I think we have bigger things to think about; oh, I don't know, maybe like how we just went back in time?"
(Beta Version 01) MJ replied, "Shut up, Ned."
Peter asked, "You two are time travelers?"
(Beta Version 01) Ned said abruptly, "No cause; Time travel doesn't exist. Obviously." He laughed nervously.
"Ned, be quiet," (Beta Version 01) MJ hissed, glaring at her friend.
"Well, the Avengers invented time travel." (Beta Version 01) Ned continued to blather. "Going back in time with just our..."
(Beta Version 01) Michelle clamped a hand over Ned's mouth. "Sorry, my friend Rambles on like that."
Peter shook his head, "Oh, I know when we were in Gym sophomore year. He wouldn't stop talking about..."
(Beta Version 01) MJ glared at Peter again, "There you go again, acting like you know us. What are you hiding, Peter?" She paused momentarily, thinking she had said those words before. Besides her mind being all confused about her trip through time, she was also confused about why her heart was beating fast in front of this stranger, but not in a scary way. But in an, I want to know him a better way.
Peter said, "Um, you two look like you need some time to figure stuff out, so if you're alright, I'm going to get out of here." He started to walk to the door when (Beta Version 01) MJ grabbed his wrist.
"Wait!" She exclaimed.
"Yes?: Peter asked. There was a hint of hope in his eyes, which confused (Beta Version 01) MJ even more.
"You haven't gotten your coffee yet, and it's cold outside; stay and chat for a while," (Beta Version 01) MJ responded, her tone softening.
Peter replied, "I don't know if I should."
(Beta Version 01) MJ asked, "Please."
Peter could never say no to Michelle, even now, so he nodded and sat down in a booth, even though this seemed like a pretty bad idea—he wasn't supposed to see Ned and MJ ever again to keep them safe—or at least that's what he had told himself.
(Beta Version 01) Ned asked, "What's up? We need to figure out how we ended up here in the past. Why are we inviting a stranger to talk with us?"
(Beta Version 01) MJ replied, "That's the same kid they will find dead by suicide a month from now, the one we cried about. I don't know about you, but something inside me wants to prevent that."
(Beta Version 01) Ned looks over at Peter. "Something inside of me does too.
Peter said, "I need to see about a Job and rent an apartment."
(Beta Version 01) MJ said with a bit of desperation in her voice, "You can get a job here with me."
Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't have an ID right now. Will that be a problem?"
(Beta Version 01) MJ shook her head, "No, the manager is desperate for help right now."
Peter looked down and said, "I think me being here with you both might be bad."
(Beta Version 01) MJ said, "Why don't you let us decide what's bad for us?"
Peter hesitated, then sighed and said, "Fair enough."
(Beta Version 01) Ned said, "MJ and I will take a road trip to visit our future college. Care to join us?"
Peter said, "You're going to visit MiT?"
(Beta Version 01) MJ's eyes narrowed again, "How did you know we were going to MiT?"
Peter stuttered, "I figured you look like you'd want to go to the best school of all time."
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(Beta Version 01) MJ was beginning to get really frustrated—her mind seemed to be clouded over in some places so that she could recognize Peter and even recall a few memories together, but he was mostly still a mystery to her. She had more feelings than memories of him: feelings of safety, happiness, and comfort, but also some fear that Peter was in danger. MJ knew that she, Peter, and Ned were tied together somehow; she wasn't sure how or why, so she replied, "Uh-huh. Well, we want to talk to someone on campus who might be able to help us with something that just happened to us. Or at least explain it, maybe."
Outside the shop, Junko Enoshima glared at the trio inside, "Damn, Peter isn't falling into despair; I need to up my game. I can't have Spider-Man around to interfere with my plans for great despair for the World."
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One Way Home: Michelle Jones & The Multiverse of Madness (ReMix) (EARTH 1998)
FanfictionMichelle must find a Earth where she can get Peter Back
