Okay, the second part as promised. I'm glad the first part was entertaining.

FantasticMe asked what happened to Reed. Well, he sent Johnny back in time and destroyed the machine after to prevent Doom or his men from following. Then, well, let's just say escape would have been miraculous.

And for Countdown, I hope I answer your question in this chapter.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys this final installment as well.

Johnny twitches perceptibly when he feels the hand on his shoulder. Drawing a deep breath, he pulls his eyes away from the picture and looks up into concerned brown eyes. The effort it takes to shake off the memory is monumental, but he manages and smiles in a belated attempt to erase any worry on the brother's part. Purposefully, he puts the paper aside.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the article," which, he surmises, isn't exactly a lie. Scott glances at the paper. Noting the headline, he nods his head in understanding before, to Johnny's relief, moving back to his seat and out of Johnny's personal space.

"That was a nasty accident. Gas line explosion at the elementary school. Three died, and a dozen more were injured. Could have been worse, though. Several of the classes were away that day on a field trip." Scott provides the information without prompting, and the two brothers wait as the Torch composes himself. He smiles at them and hastily finishes his meal. As he does so, he contemplates how to approach the topic he needs to address without raising any alarms with the good Samaritans.

"Look, uh, I wasn't supposed to be out today, especially with the …" He stops, indicating the side wound and allowing yet again for the two to come to their own conclusions. Besides, he isn't really lying. He shouldn't have been out today, since today is actually more than a few decades in the past.

"I'll need a more normal means of transportation to get back without getting in too tight a spot with my sister." He chokes a little on mentioning his sister, but the novelty of being around him has yet to wear off for the brothers, and neither of them notice.

"You could borrow our car."

"No, I couldn't take anything. I just need some information on the buses and trains. I'll get back easily enough." This is true as well. He has seen the name of the paper now and knows he is still in New York. So close, so very close.

"Or you could use our phone and call the rest of the team to pick you up." Luke indicates the phone with a hand, but Johnny shakes his head mulishly. He isn't resisting because he doesn't want to see them, but rather because he isn't sure if he should. He needs to figure out what has happened, and he needs to do this alone.

"I am going to get one hell of a lecture from Reed when he sees what I've managed to do to his handy work - me, that is. I'd like to put that off as long as possible. So, I just need the information, and I'll be on my way."

Luke relents, but with one condition. He will drive Johnny to the bus stop and stay with him until it is time to go. Scott wants to come, but the older brother can see that Johnny is not really in the proper state of mind to deal with a hyper fan and convinces Scott to stay behind.

The goodbyes are quick. Johnny resists his instinct to flinch when the boys get too close. Too many years on the run have led to a myriad of habits he is going to have to forget if he is going to get on with his life.

He makes sure to sit in the very back of the bus. He clutches the backpack the boys gave him so hard his knuckles turn white. He tries to think about what he should do now, about how he is going to ensure the future he has lived never comes to pass. Dark thoughts invade his mind instead.

Before he knows it, he is standing to exit the bus, to re-enter the hustle and bustle of a city he has already mourned. He steps off, takes two steps forward, and stops. Everything is so loud and bright. The cacophony of sound nearly overwhelms him, but it proves to him his city is alive. He closes his eyes and lets the sounds penetrate.

My god, I forgot how crowded New York is, he thinks as he stands still in the middle of the sidewalk. People hurry past, taking no notice of him. He stays only a moment longer before turning silently on his heels toward a bistro he remembers should be just a few blocks away.

He pauses outside, taking a moment to secure the cap and jacket, hoping he looks sufficiently unlike himself to not attract any attention. Inside is warm and inviting, two things he is going to have to get used to experiencing again. He orders something, rushes to the table in back, and settles in. Now is the time to decide what he should do and admit what he is doing.

He is procrastinating.

He admits that. He even admits why.

He is afraid.

Afraid he will screw this up. Afraid finding Sue will undo him, and he will be unable to do anything but hold onto her and never let go. Afraid going to them will make the end come that much quicker. Afraid not going to them will bring the end. Just plain afraid.

Remember.

Reed's final words to him echo back, but there is more to it than that. More than just remembering the terrible future he's lived through; more than recalling how lost and broken Reed was after Sue died; more than allowing the faces and names and lost places to float through his mind. So much more.

He pulls out the metal string, lightly tracing the gold bands it holds. The simple action calms him, and he breathes deeply, taking stock of himself.

He remembers some of the more interesting conversations he had with Reed. The ones that had nothing to do with Doom. Time travel had been a topic, though he never realized just how serious Reed had been. He should have, this was Reed. Regardless of that folly Reed had been so sure that instead of ending up with two of the person, the future occupant would take over the past.

He hasn't completely merged with his past self; his hair and scars are proof of this. It will be impossible for Sue, Reed, and Ben not to notice, and, once they do, he will have to explain. There is no doubt in his mind they will believe him. He may be the jokester in the group, but he wouldn't joke about this. They know that.

No, their belief in him is not the issue. What they might do because they believe him is.

Remember.

He does remember, and that is what scares him. He has witnessed what Doom is capable of doing. He remembers how the helplessness built up inside him each time they failed to stop him.

Failures that will not be repeated. Johnny Storm is going to see to that. He sits a little straighter when he states this. A silent vow he cannot break.

"Ben, Alicia. It's great to see you today. Would you like your usual table?" Sarah, the owner and head waitress, gushes as she greets the entering couple. Her chipper voice breaks Johnny's train of thought, but when he catches sight of exactly who has walked in, it derails completely.

He thinks he has stopped breathing because his chest constricts, and his grip on the table is turning his knuckles white again. It is too much. His half-finished meal forgotten, he stands as silently as he can and heads for the door, keeping to the wall whenever possible.

He makes it to the door and has taken one step outside when he hears her. Her voice is as sweet and smooth as he remembers. He can't help slowing up just enough to hear what she says.

"Johnny?"

"What?" This voice is gruff, like rocks grinding against each other. It is music to his ears.

"I think Johnny is here. Do you see him?"

Then he is out, around the corner, landing painfully on his knees, his arms wrapping around his torso, tears forming in his eyes. Too much. He was just starting to get a grip on everything, and now this. Age is definitely catching up to him, no matter that he once again looks under 30.

He's alive. He repeats the phrase in his mind, over and over as he rocks himself back and forth. He hopes he's gone far enough away. He doesn't want to be seen like this, not now. In an effort to ground himself, he reaches out blindly, his hand coming into contact with the rough brick of the building, dirt and grime adhering to its surface. He suddenly recalls another stone covered in grit.

It's happening again. He can feel himself falling back into a memory that is no longer real, just like when he saw that picture in the paper. He tries to fend it off, repeating over and over again he's alive. He conjures images of him smiling and happy with the women of his dreams, but it isn't working. This time, he thinks, he really can blame the machine Reed used; he never used to be an emotional wreck.

"Johnny." Johnny looks up, blue eyes desolate. Reed sits down next to him, silent as he chooses his next words thoughtfully.

"I know this is hard Johnny, but there is nothing else I can try. Victor knew what he was doing. I…" He pauses. This is hard enough to admit to himself, let alone to his friend and brother. "I just don't have the equipment anymore. Maybe if…" He trails off. There is no reason to bring up what they both already know.

Johnny looks away. He doesn't smile much anymore. None of them do. What is happening today will not bring back the smile that used to be a permanent fixture on Johnny's face. Ben is the only one who can get a smile out of Johnny anymore. After Sue's death, 11 years prior, Johnny has lost his trademark sense of humor.

Ben had found a nice secluded spot to bury her. It is a beautiful spot, next to a lake, halfway up a mountain, no chance of being discovered. Ben had found the headstone and shaped it carefully. Johnny had burned the inscription. Reed, who had seemed to have lost all will to live since his wife's death and hadn't spoken a word after pulling Johnny from that building, found something to live for the day they laid her to rest. Retribution. He'd lost the ability to cry, though. A fierce determination to succeed in honor of his wife became stronger than the heart-breaking grief.

Now he waits beside his brother, searching for the words to help Johnny with this latest blow. They aren't sure how Doom infected Ben, but however he did, the result is inescapable now.

"He wants to see you, has something to say."

Johnny nods, not looking at Reed as he painfully pushes himself to his feet and turns to the door. Reed stands with him, waiting as the younger man pulls himself together and walks through the entryway.

Ben lays motionless on the bed. His breathing is labored. Stone grating and catching against stone. Leaving less and less behind. Johnny chokes back a sob. It isn't fair. They can't lose Ben like this, not after they've already lost Sue.

Ben's eyes are closed as Johnny sits in the chair next to the head of the bed. As Johnny sits down, Ben opens his eyes and turns his head just enough to be able to look at his friend.

"Hey Matchstick," Ben rasps.

"Hey Pebbles," Johnny returns miserably.

"Gotta say something to ya before it's too late." Ben moves his hand, and Johnny reflexively takes it in his. He cringes at the gritty feel of his friend's normally smooth, rocky exterior. Even as he watches, more orange sand flakes off, adding to what is already on the bed and floor.

It isn't even the right color, Johnny thinks dimly, looking everywhere but at his friend's face. The normally bright, vibrant orange is dulled, rusty red stains turning the overall hue coppery.

"Plenty of time, Ben. Plenty of time."

"No, no there is not," Ben forces out, squeezing his friends hand. "Look at me kid."

Reluctantly, Johnny complies. Ben manages a smile, a true smile despite the somber mood. Reed watches from the doorway, providing silent moral support.

"It's up to you now, kid. Someone has got to watch the egghead's back. I'm glad that it's you. Real glad." Ben trails off, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Guess you ended up in the Dynamic Duo after all."

"Ben?" Johnny whispers when his friend doesn't continue. Brokenly, he repeats his friend's name, each time more frantically than the last when no response is forthcoming. He blinks back the tears that threaten to fall, calling out for Ben over and over again until a slim hand comes to rest on his shoulder, and a voice softly speaks his name.

The tears fall then, and he buries his face on the gritty chest that no longer moves. He ignores the feeling of sand as he sheds the tears he's held in since Sue. Reed says nothing, but stands by, his grip firm and solid and alive.

Alive. He. Is. Alive. He thinks the words slowly as he becomes aware of his surroundings once again. The grip on his shoulder is still there; he jerks away in alarm.

"Hey, take it easy man. You forgot your bag. Are you all right? Should I call someone? 911?" The speaker is the waiter from the bistro. Jeff, Johnny recalls sluggishly.

Johnny doesn't trust his voice, so he merely shakes his head, accepts the hand up, and retrieves his bag. Ben is nowhere in sight. It seems he has managed to avoid that scene. Shakily, he thanks the waiter and hurries off, anxious for some space to think.

He has come to a realization about what he has to do. Seeing Ben has confirmed his half-formed thoughts before he was fully conscious of them.

Reed rescued him from a tragic future, and he cannot let that future come to be. No matter what, he will not lose his family again. The world will not descend into despair.

He knows the others will help him if he asks, but he won't. Their involvement would change their behavior and complicate the timeline of events he remembers. Those memories are his best weapon. He dares not interfere with today's events until he knows exactly how to ensure them all a future together.

Johnny and Reed spent years piecing together the events leading to Doom's victory. There are a lot of things they never fully figured out, but it will have to be enough. He already has an idea. More than that, he has a purpose, a mission he must undertake.

And he must undertake it alone.

He will have to wait until tonight, when everyone has gone to sleep. The ideal time will be after 3am. It used to take that long for Sue to badger Reed into bed when he was working on a new project. Of course, it is completely possible he has no new project, only older ones to occupy him off and on. In that case, they will be in bed at a much more reasonable hour.

Johnny can't take any chances and decides to wait. He meanders closer to the Baxter building, but keeps his distance as he works through what he will need. He has to take into account that a significant portion of the inventions he remembers may very well not be completed or even started yet.

Sunlight gives way to streetlights, and the night life of New York City takes over. As midnight comes and goes, Johnny makes his way towards his old home, made new again. Sneaking into Reed's lab would be much harder if he hadn't learned how to successfully infiltrate Doom's positions without being caught so many times. He is in luck; the upper floors are silent.

He peruses the items in Reed's workspace with an experienced eye. As he expects, not all the inventions he remembers are there, but he does find the ones he feels are most crucial to his self-imposed mission. He may have made fun of how much of a geek Reed was, but in jest. He loves the guy as much as his sister does, and he is proud to call him his brother.

Johnny takes note of the time and moves back into the front foyer. He has what he needs, to start with anyway, and he can figure out what else he needs as he goes.

The soft backlights that Reed leaves on so no one will trip over anything are a comfort after everything, and Johnny stands alone in the one place he ever truly called home - at least, the only place with an address. When things got really bad in the future, any place they were together was home. He sighs. Apparently, he is getting melancholy in his old age.

He should go.

Really, he should. He has what he came for. The longer he stays, the more likely he will be discovered, which will screw up the plan he has just started to map out in his head. His fingers curl protectively around the rings he has been gifted, a solid reminder of why he is doing this. He knows he needs to go.

Instead, he stands still in the large foyer, the soft hum of Reed's electronics a soothing background he never realized he missed. He looks toward the hallway that leads to their room, longing pulling at him, logic warning him. Silently, he places the backpack down and heads toward her door.

He makes no sound as he walks. He has, after all, had plenty of practice over the years. When he gets to the door, he is pleased that, as usual, it remains slightly ajar. Sparing one glance at the foyer, he pushes cautiously. As the door swings noiselessly open, he steps up and peers into the room.

"Sue." Her name is a balm on his soul as he breathes out and leans into the door, not sure if it is exhaustion or relief sapping the strength from his limbs. She is facing away from him, her cheek pressed securely against Reed's arm, but Johnny can picture her face, see the soft smile she carries even in sleep. It is one of the things he has always loved about his sister, one of the things that always made him feel safe.

He watches her, memorizing her all over again before shifting his gaze to her husband, his brother. His breath catches at what he sees.

Reed has the same smile gracing his face, a peace and contentment relaxing his features in a way Johnny has all but forgotten.

Feeling abruptly like he is intruding, he slinks back, rubbing the heels of his hands over his eyes, fighting to keep them clear. He is ambling back the way he came, lost in his thoughts and new determinations.

"Where are you going, Tinkerbell?" The gruff question catches Johnny completely by surprise, and he whirls around to stare wide eyed at an annoyed Ben Grim.

"Uh, just out. Probably be gone a few days," he manages after a moment. He catches his hand twitching towards his friend, but pins it to his side. Johnny is suddenly very grateful for the low light and that he is still wearing the knitted cap because he would have had a hard time explaining his current hairstyle to Ben's satisfaction.

"Oh really," Ben starts, crossing his massive arms and glaring at Johnny. "That's what you said yesterday, and yet here you are."

"Oh yeah, well….I..forgot…a few things," Johnny mutters feebly, battling back the sting of tears that threaten to fall. Oh god, I can't do this right now. I have to get out of here. Johnny's mind races, memories and fears and long-forgotten hopes warring for his attention. It is too much. Far too much.

"Well, I gotta go. Things to do, places to be," he manages as cheerfully as he can around the lump in his throat. He backs a few steps away from Ben, watching his friend. He knows Ben won't leave this as is. Sure enough, he's only taken a few steps when Ben moves to intercept him. Johnny sees it coming. He dances out of the way, grabs his bag, and flees to the stairs.

He hears Ben shout after him and hopes his voice won't wake the others, though he is pretty sure it has. He makes it to the lobby in record time and races out the door, ignoring the startled greeting from the night doorman.

Once outside, he pulls up his hood to obscure his face, finds a dark space in a nearby alley, and turns to watch the entrance to the Baxter building. Ben appears sooner than he expects; for a two-ton rock, he is surprisingly quick on his feet. Ben stops just outside the doors and scans intently, the streetlights softening the edges of his body. Johnny leans even further into the brick wall next to him, willing himself not to move.

Sue and Reed appear next to Ben after only a few minutes. Seeing all three together nearly undoes his resolve, but then he remembers a solitary grave, words burned into the stone and only three witnesses; remembers the feel of solid stone turning to grit beneath his very fingertips; remembers the fiercely whispered words of his sole remaining family; and, finally, he turns away.

He hunches inward as he hurries down the street, keeping his head down and blinking furiously against the tears and the memories.

"Don't worry, Reed," he whispers into the darkness in answer to his brother's last request.

"I will."