PREVIOUSLY: After revealing his secret identity to the United States Government per the Superhuman Registration Act, Peter Parker found himself at odds with Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, and his registration agenda. The decision to leave Stark's side made Peter a fugitive, forcing him into hiding in a sleazy motel with his wife, Mary Jane and his Aunt May.

Returning to said motel one evening, after the conclusion of the super hero civil war, Peter was met by an attempt on his life. He acted quickly enough to save himself and Mary Jane from harm, but the bullet meant for him instead struck Aunt May. Frantic to save May's life, Peter rushed her to the hospital. Not knowing how else to help her, he resolved to do the only thing he could: hunt down the men responsible. Little did he know, though, that the trail leading to the shooter would also lead right to the man who took out the hit.

Just then, Mephisto appears. Turning to Mephisto, Peter wants to know how the whole deal works. Mephisto responds that he really shouldn't concern himself with those details; nonetheless, he tells Peter that it is really quite simple. They will no longer be married, because they will never have been married. "It simply never happened", he says. Confused, Peter asks if his whole life, up to that point, will be erased. Mephisto replies that the marriage is but a stitch in time, that he will simply and painlessly remove, and all else will remain the same. Peter retorts that he still does not understand. Mephisto claims that he doesn't need to; all he needs to understand is that Aunt May will be saved. Having said that, he tells Peter that time is nearly up. Before Peter can say anything, MJ jumps in and tells Mephisto that the removal of that small stitch in time will not resolve anything. MJ explains that the world still knows Peter is Spider-Man, which is why Aunt May was shot in the first place. Therefore, there is nothing stopping another lunatic from trying to kill her again. Mephisto answers that he wants to explain something to her. Having said that, Mephisto explains that he chose the two of them because their love, is the rarest love of all. Pure, unconditional love, made holy in the eyes of GOD, whom Mephisto hates most. "To take such love away from HIM, to deny HIM, is a victory like none other imaginable", Mephisto goes on saying. However, if restoring Peter's secret identity is all it takes for them to accept the deal, then they should consider "it" done. Again, before Peter can say anything, MJ tells Mephisto that their answer is "yes". However, there is a catch; he has to put Peter's life back the way it was and give him a chance to happiness. All that, in exchange for something, which is not revealed to the reader. Whatever it is, she doesn't want Peter to hear, as she (tearfully) goes and whispers her counter-offer in Mephisto's ear. Peter wants to know what she said but MJ won't tell him and points that there is not a lot of time left. Mephisto concurs and tells Peter that he needs his approval as well, for the deal to take place. Peter, though somewhat reluctant, finally agrees.

Mephisto declares the deal done and admits that he is surprised of their decision. Peter asks why. Mephisto explains that he has the power to turn a possibility into a probability into a fact and is curious why Peter didn't think of asking about his alternate selves, the ones he met the day before. With that said, he transforms into the mysterious lady in red and tells Peter, as the woman, that she is one of the possibilities yet to come, though that is a discussion for some other time. Realizing what Mephisto is saying, Peter asks about the little red-haired girl he encountered the day before. Transforming into said girl, Mephisto explains that she is the daughter they will not have, now that they have decided to save Aunt May. Peter is completely furious at Mephisto; MJ has to hold him back. Mephisto then disappears, a smirk on his face. MJ turns to Peter and tearfully tell him that she knows in her heart of hearts that she and Peter were always meant to be together. Whatever Mephisto throws at them, whatever he does or undoes, it doesn’t matter. Because whatever he does to pull them apart will never be bigger and stronger than what brought them together and kept them together, no matter what happened. "There's no power in the universe big enough for a job like that. Not the devil. Not God. Not anybody. We'll find each other again, and we’ll be together again. I know we will. And I'm always right about these things". They hug each other and express their love for one another. Then, as they kiss, everything fades to black and MJ's last words are "Face it Tiger, you’ve just hit the jackpot".

Mirroring the first scene in the book, Peter Parker awakens alone in his bed. He checks his alarm clock and realizes he is running late. He races down the stairs and enters the kitchen of his Forest Hills home, where Aunt May is busy cooking breakfast for her favorite nephew. He grabs a few pancakes right off the hot pan and shoves them down his throat, muffling to Aunt May that he needs to hurry, or else he'll be late for a party and won't be able to yell surprise with everybody else. He then jumps on his bike and takes off toward Manhattan Island.

A few minutes later, he arrives at some unidentified penthouse apartment and makes his way up, using the elevator, after being let in by the doorman. When he reaches the right penthouse, the elevator doors open, revealing some kind of party going on inside. Within seconds, he is greeted by a very cheerful Flash Thompson, who comments that he (Peter) was almost late for the big surprise. As Peter answers that he is well aware of that, he spots Mary Jane amongst a crowd of people. She is looking straight at him, sadness written all over her face. Flash notices the exchange and comments – to Peter – that things seem to still be quite frosty between the two of them. Peter is about to say something about it when someone nearby tells them to quiet down, because the person they are surprising is on his way up. Seconds later, the elevator doors open, revealing none other than Harry Osborn! Harry strolls into the room, accompanied by two gorgeous ladies, one of which is his girlfriend. The other one, a beautiful blonde with glasses, looks in Peter's direction. Harry joins Peter and Flash and introduces his girlfriend as Lily Hollister and the gorgeous spectacled girl named Carlie Cooper, introduces herself to Peter, as soon as he's finished shaking Lily's hand. Carlie explains that she's Lily's best friend since high school and the one who drove Lily and Harry from the airport. Peter shakes her hand. Carlie goes on asking Peter how he knows Harry but Peter gets distracted by Mary Jane leaving the party. When he turns his attention back to Carlie, he gets quite the scolding look. Thankfully, he is saved by the reappearance of Harry, who is holding a bunch of glasses and a bottle of champagne. Harry comments that he's lived in Europe too long not to get to toast with his best pals. As he hands glasses to his friends, he mentions that the worst thing about rehab is that the parties suck. Courteously, Peter grabs a glass but politely says no to Harry. Then, Peter, Harry, Flash, Lily and Carlie all raise their glasses to a "Brand New Day".

To be continued.