Hi! This takes place after the 2nd movie. Please review! And enjoy!

Choices

People come and people go. Some people's words sting, while others do not. I have always heard words directed towards me, even if it wasn't entirely nice. When I had this rocky appearance at first, I thought it was as if God wanted to punish me. I wanted to get out of this rocky shell as soon as I could. But now that I am a superhero, I don't mind being an orange pile of pebble. All because people, even if they didn't want to or not, would always thank me for the deeds I do around New York City.

As well, Alicia Masters, the woman who had helped me cope, was my motivation. After Debbie had left me, I felt as if my world was torn from me. However, when Alicia came, I felt complete once again. I never wanted to change back to my handsome, human self because I was scared that Alicia wouldn't like me as plain old Ben Grimm. I wanted to impress her. I wanted to make her feel proud of my accomplishments as part of FF and as The Thing. Now, I'm not so sure if I want to stay as The Thing any more, especially now when Alicia told me about the thing she is considering.

"Are you sure that you ain't just pulling my leg, Alicia?" I asked the absolutely beautiful woman, who was standing in front of me as she was finishing her latest sculpture of…well…me. She always captured the essence of the person or thing she is sculpting, even though she can't even see her own masterpieces because of her blindness. However, with what she had just said, that may all change.

"Yes, Ben. Aren't you happy?" she asked me with her soft yet sophisticated voice. I knew that I should have been happy for her because she had been wishing for this ever since the accident, but I couldn't help but wonder.

"Of course, Alicia. I just can't believe it." Whatever I just said now was true. How could I just believe when, out of nowhere, she tells me that she is going under treatment to cure her problem?

"I know, I can't either. I mean all my life I haven't taken anything for granted. But when they said that they found a treatment which could cure my blindness, I immediately jumped at the offer." Alicia smiled at me as she thought dreamily about her near future. I knew that she had wanted to see ever since she got blind from the accident. If I understood exactly how Alicia felt about this matter and knew how happy she was, then why was I not feeling all that great of Alicia getting her sight back?

"I hope you accept this offer. You might not get a chance like this every again, Alicia." With that, I stood up, hugged her, and left her loft, hoping not to upset her, but I might have accidentally might. I say this because she dropped whatever she was sculpting. I tried to leave that out of mind, and onto my present situation. I needed to talk to someone. I could talk to Reed, but all he would suggest is his cures. I could Johnny, but that flame-brain would just burst off into giggles half-way through the talk. The only person who I could talk to was Susan, the strong willed person.

"See Susie. That's my problem." I finished with that statement, explaining what Alicia was offered and what my problem was.

Susan scrunched her forehead in deep concentration, then articulated, "So you're saying that you're afraid of what Alicia would think of your appearance when she sees you for the first time? Why do you think that Alicia would even care of how you look? She already knows how you look, Ben? What makes you think that she would change her mind?"

Looking up from my hands, I found myself looking at a very frustrated Susan. Sighing, I wished that I never even asked anyone's input in the first place. I replied, "I don't know, Susie. I thought that once she really sees me, she might change her mind of being with me. And I was actually thinking of progressing our relationship further…" I picked a box from my pocket and showed it to Susan.

Shocked, Susan looked at the box and at me again. "You were going to propose to her, Ben? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Now I realize your hesitation." Susan put her finger to her forehead and thought hard about their situation. Finally, she looked up at me and put a smile, "All I can say is whatever you choose, and it will be the right choice, Ben. Alicia loves you for who you are, and bringing back her sight won't change any of that." With that, Susan left me in my room to attend the crying of her son, Franklin, from the other end of the hallway.

I laid back in her chair and was in deep concentration. Did Susie really think that Alicia would accept me for who I am once she sees the true me? It took a while for me to realize what I wanted and why I wanted it. I stood up and went to Reed's lab and found him working very diligently.

"Stretch?" Reed looked up at me from whatever he was working on and smiled.

"Yes Ben. Need any help?" he asked me as if he already knew what I was going to say.

"In a matter of fact, yes…"

I was waiting eagerly beside Alicia few days later, after her treatment. They said that the operation was successful and that she would see with 20/20 vision. I was about to close my eyes when I saw Alicia open her beautiful light brown eyes. I looked at her with concern and was happy when she appeared surprised.

"Ben, you're…you're human…but how….but why?" Alicia stuttered at her own words. I smiled and pulled out a button from my pocket. I pressed on the button and before she knew it, I was The Thing again.

She kept her mouth open wide, while I explained, "Reed found a cure for me. Using this, I could change between the Thing and my human self at my own will."

Alicia still was speechless, but said, "Why did you do this, Ben? You know that I love you as the Thing."

I smiled and took the ring out of my pocket and I kept it on my palm, "I wanted to be with you forever as a human, as Ben Grimm. I wanted you to be my wife. I wanted you to have a simple life without worrying me in battle. All I can now ask is, will you marry me?"

Alicia jumped from her bed and hugged me instantly, "Of course, Ben Grimm. I would marry you, no matter who you are, The Thing or Ben Grimm. I love you." I smiled as I put the ring on her finger and continued on to hug her. I knew that we would have our happily ever after, after all.

Like it? Please review.

I have a question for all of you. Will you read a story about when FF are a little older and when their kids are the FF now? Don't worry, there still would be a lot of the present FF, but would you guys read it? I'm almost done the first chapter and I just wanted an opinion.

Anyways…

Forgiveness is the scent that the rose leaves on the heel that crushes it.

-Rosefire