A/N: first attempt at a fantastic Four fic – my knowledge on the super heros is still quite basic so if there are any fact, tips or pointers I welcome them. Review!
Nixy
Xxx
Disclaimer – I own nothing… well I made Harry up but yeah I don't know if that counts, I needed a quick bad guy so yeah…
Summary: What happened if some where during a battle, Reed went missing? What lengths will Sue and the rest of the team go to find him? SueReed fluffy!!!
There You'll Be
Chapter One:
Reed Richards laboratory, a forbidden west wing to the likes of Johnny Storm and Ben (The Thing) Grim who were considered too heavy handed to be in. Ben because of his recent mutation and Johnny because…well just because it was Johnny. A haven of machines and creations all once ideas in the scientists mind. Yes, no one was allowed access to Reed Richards lab, but this time there was an exception.
Ben Grim stood at the entrance of the dark lab, light from the other room pouring into the dark, cold area. He looked around the silent space and quickly spotted who he was looking for.
Susan Storm, the only female member of their team was slumped forward in her seat, her forehead resting in her folded arms on the desk in front of a computer which had switched to screen saver Ben guessed a while ago. Slowly he approached her, his oversized stone feet banging loudly on the tiled floor. He watched her slender frame hunched forward, her long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders and her glasses pushed up over her forehead as she slept. He silently reached over and switched off the computer monitor before lightly touching her shoulder.
"Susie" he began gently. Knowing that this was probably the first time in a while she had slept and probably will sleep he didn't really want to wake her up but she couldn't stay here.
"Susie"
She sat up suddenly inhaling deeply through her nose.
"Reed..?" she whispered looking around before meeting Ben's eye, her glasses resting crooked on the top of her head. He smiled sympathetically shaking his head kneeling down to her level.
"Come on Susie, let me take you to bed, you've been in here all day"
"No I have to find Reed" she began turning towards the monitor, her eyebrows lowering when she came face to screen with nothing.
"You've done all you can do today it's nearly two o'clock in the morning" he coaxed pulling her chair out away from the computer.
"No I haven't found him yet!" she whimpered tiredly trying to pull herself back towards the computer but Ben held her back.
"I've gotta find him" she began her voice cracking slightly.
"Susie" he whispered sadly leaning in front of her once again. "Listen to me, we all want to find Reed, but you can't carry on when you can hardly keep your eyes open. You need to stay strong and rested for when we do find him. OK?"
Sue lowered her eyes to her knees blinking back the sudden glaze of tears that had formed over them.
"I just…" she drifted off avoiding her friend's eye line as she fort back her tears. "I feel so helpless" she said finally looking at him. Ben nodded knowingly standing up to his full height and pulling Sue out of her chair.
"We will find him Susie, I promise" he said to her as he guided her out of the laboratory.
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep" she whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear her. Ben paused in his footsteps, his mouth open as if he was about to say something but he held back and watched Sue walk on ahead of him. It broke his heart to see her looking so fallen but a part of him was thinking just like her. They had been looking for Reed for over a week now and were quickly running out of places to look. He hoped for all of their sakes that they would find the missing member of their team; he didn't know what it would do to Susie if they couldn't find him.
The world around them seemed to be crumbling, the earth beneath their feet cracked and parted like an egg shell at breakfast time. The sky loomed over them a dark purple, the sunshine and clouds having disappeared hours before. Harry Knight, a crazed scientist who took his shot at playing God was now gurgling in discomfort. He was an old friend of Reed and Sue's back when they were at school and had used this friendship to gain access into Reeds lab and all the data on the Fantastic Four after the encounter with the storm two years ago. He had stolen a sample of Johnny's blood and injected himself with it. His DNA hadn't reacted the same as the fours had done when the storm hit them. The small sample had moderated his DNA slightly, just enough for him to use his science to amplify it and create something dangerous. The metal, robot like armor that he wore now seemed uncomfortable and heavy under his lanky frame as he gasped and hiccupped for air. Susan Storm stood in front of him, her arms outstretched and her fingertips glowing. She had been yelled to create a force field inside of Harry to stop him from destroying anything else. She had done it within seconds taking only a second to mourn her old college friend. Small beads of sweat fell from between her shoulder blades and breasts, her forehead creased with concentration as she expanded her shield.
Johnny lay meters back unconscious, seeing as Harry had used his DNA to get this way. He was immune to Johnny's powers and the youngest member of the team had found this out the hard way.
Harry screamed, his face contorted with pain and fear.
"Susie!" he screamed towards the blonde standing before him.
"Sue, ignore him!" Reed, her fiancé called from behind her. He had never liked Harry. He had spent the whole of his time in college chasing after Sue, trying to steal her away from him. Of course none of that had anything to do with his need to be rid of him now but he knew what Sue was like. She was forgiving, soft in places. He loved that about her but they couldn't afford to lose now if she began to feel sorry for the dying enemy.
Harry glanced towards Reed after hearing his call to Sue. His eyebrows lowered in anger. Inside he gurgled as the shield inside him grew even more and he let out a gut wrenching cry of pain. He hated Reed Richards. For being better then him at school, for winning the scientific events that he should have won, for getting Susan Storm who till this day didn't understand what she saw in a geek like him. He hated him. With a cry of pain he managed to lift his left arm and sent a bolt of fire towards the Invisible Woman. Immediately after, he shot his right arm forward sending a shot towards Reed. His robot armor suit beeped catching his attention and he frowned. Something was not right. He looked up at the blast now hurdling towards Mr. Fantastic and watched as it exploded and swallowed Reed in a ball of blinding light before dissolving into nothing. Reed was gone.
Ben blinked blindly suddenly feeling disorientated. It took him a second to register that a member of his team was missing.
"What was four is now three" Harry laughed bitterly as he glanced towards each remaining fantastic. Ben let out a yell of frustration as he heaved up a crushed up vehicle of some sort and threw it towards Harry with as much force as he could muster. Bens screams and yells of rage never ceased as he continued throwing anything he could find at Harry.
Sue looked up from where she sat on the floor. After deflecting the shot towards her she had fallen to the floor feeling slightly weakened from creating her shield inside the enemy as well.
"Reed…" she began slowly turning to where Reed had been standing. He was not there anymore, only cracks in the floor was left from were he was standing.
"Reed!" she called out not totally understanding where her fiancé had gone.
"Bring him back you bastard!" Ben screamed. Sue watched him throwing anything in his reach at Harry from where she sat on the floor. Reed was gone? That was impossible. He had promised they would be together forever. He couldn't be gone because forever was a long time away yet. Her knuckles tightened on the dry earth she sat on, her vision suddenly becoming blurred by a layer of years over her blue eyes. Who was this guy? He was just a crazy man, how had he managed to make one of their team members disappear into thin air just like that. Her eyes fell on the metal gasket around her engagement finger and a tear slowly made its way down her face. That was it. Her breathing quickened and her face scrunched up in rage. She had never wanted to hurt some body so much in her life.
Ben was exhausted but he didn't care he had to get his friend back. He was running out of things to throw now and taking a breath he narrowed his eyes at Harry who was powering up is metal armor. He was about to charge when the ground beneath him began to shake again. At first he thought it was Harry but when he looked around he saw that Sue was now at her feet, her body surrounded but a light blue glow. Her lose blonde hair was whipping across her face and rising rapidly in the wind she was creating.
"Susie…" he began but she didn't hear him. He watched as she raised her arms toward Harry one more time. For a moment he didn't recognize the woman standing a few feet from him, her bright blue eyes that were once filled with softness and kindness were now cold and glazed over by something he couldn't put his finger on.
"You..." she chocked her voice dark and deep. Harry looked up at her. She let out an ear piercing scream as she thrust her arms forward forcing a force filed inside of him once again. She didn't have to concentrate this time or focus her energy. She was so angry that Harry literally exploded in a second, the metal armor flying off of him as the shield inside him burst and stretched his skin. His scream didn't even follow through he was gone that fast.
Hey eyes were open and she gasped, her lungs filling with air so quickly she thought she would have passed out. It took her a second to register where she was, hers and Reed's bedroom. An open window allowed the night breeze to blow the curtain open, displaying the very early morning's pinks and oranges in the sky. Her chest heaved heavily as she tried to calm herself down. Her chest was glistening with sweat, her hair sticking to the sides of her face and forehead. She looked around, her hand falling on the cold material of the pillow beside her and her face crumpled. Tears began to flow freely and fast down her face as she lost control and cried. She fell into the empty side of the bed and cried hard into the pillow as she had done every night before now.
In the hall way Johnny Storm switched the bathroom light off before heading down the hallway to his bedroom. It was a usual event if on the way back from his midnight trip to the bathroom he would hear his elder sister crying. Sometimes he would go in and see her and other time he would leave her alone. He was never too fond of the idea of comforting a girl crying with all those hormones and things flying around, it was dangerous stuff. Glancing at his watch he saw that it hadn't even been three hours since Ben had brought her back from the lab. With a sigh he decided that some form of comfort food or hot drink might be a good idea.
She sat with her back against the cold wall; her hair messed and tangled around her face, falling in front of her shoulders. Her eyes were glued to the photograph on the bedside table. It was of her and Reed the night he had proposed to her. They were both standing at the front of the boat with her brother's flame on in the sky behind them. She still to this day wasn't sure who had taken the photo but who ever it was needed to be rewarded for their great eye. They had captured the moment perfectly. Reed was looking down at her, his lips pressed lightly to her forehead with Sue looking brightly towards the camera, her blue eyes glistening with happiness as she hugged Reed closer.
Sue smiled fondly at the memory as another single tear strolled down her cheek. What she wouldn't have given to feel Reed's lips on her forehead again. A soft knock at her door broke her attention.
"Come in Johnny" she called numbly not looking to see her brother come in with two mugs of tea. She sniffed, wiping her face on the sleeve of her night shirt and offering her brother a small smile as he handed her the hot mug and sat beside her.
"How are you holding up sis?" he asked knowing full well the answer but purely for start of conversation.
"Shit" she stated bluntly. Johnny raised his eyebrows. It wasn't often that he heard his sister swears and when she did he knew it was bad.
"God I could use a cigarette" she mumbled resting the back of her head on the wall.
"Now Sue, you haven't smoked since college" Johnny scolded lightly. "It's bad for you"
"You smoke every day" she stated her voice rising slightly in defense.
"But not the cigarette kind" he laughed resting against the wall next to his sister.
The two sat in silence for a while just sipping on tea and enjoying the much needed company. Johnny turned silently to look at his sister who was staring in front of her. He followed her eye line to the photo on the bedside. With a sigh he swung his arm comfortably around his sister's shoulders. She sniffed sadly resting her head on his shoulder
"You know, I kinda miss him too" he said feeling half stupid. Sue choked a laugh into her mug trying hard not to cry again.
"But don't tell the big guy cause he'll think I've gone soft"
Sue laughed despite herself and nodded silently.
"Thanks Johnny"
A/N: Ok well thats the first chapter done and dusted. let me know what you think! Where could Reed be??