1

"We have a room ready for you if you decide to accept the job, and you'll have enough time to do any extra experiments if you want," My future boss Sue Richards says, leading the way calmly. "There are already four people living here, so be prepared for it to be a little crowded."

"That's fine," I say calmly, trying to hide the extreme relief I feel with those words. I have a room. "I really appreciate the offer."

Sue turns, her gold hair shining a little. "So you'll take it?"

I smile. "I'd love to,"

She shakes my hand once, smiling. "Whenever you're ready, Reed is working on something in the lab with my brother. I'd appreciate you meeting me there."

I smile, nodding once. "As soon as I set my bag in my room I'll head over."

She smiles, nodding, and I set my bag down, glancing in the mirror. I have long, dark brown curls that end halfway down my back, pale green eyes, and no height unless I wear heels. I don't think too much of myself, especially since I'm so short and curvy, but this job will keep my mother taken care of, and that's all I could ask for.

I turn and head straight for the lab.

"I don't get it!" A voice complains, making me pause outside the door. "Why can't I go out?"

"Because we've finally gotten control of our abilities, and the last thing we need is for you to cause more problems." Sue snaps.

"Aw, come on!" He whines, and I step in the doorway to see a man with bussed brown hair and blue eyes throwing his hands in the air. "Just one time!"

"No," Sue snaps, and then her eyes land on me. "Oh, sorry Katherine."

The man turns and meets my eyes, and I force myself to look away and focus on Sue. "You're fine," I say, smiling a little.

"Who's this?" The man asks, and I can feel his eyes on me as I try not to look at him. I know exactly who he is, and the last place I want to be is on his hit list.

"This is our new assistant," Sue says, gesturing for me to come beside her, and I force myself to walk towards her even though I just want to curl up into a ball and hide. "This is Katherine."

"Hi," I offer, not looking at anyone for too long and finally choosing to look at the computer as if I understand what's on it.

The man with dark hair and eyes steps forward, shaking my hand. "It's nice to meet you." I notice the ring on his finger, and the pieces click. Sue's husband. Reed.

The man with the blue eyes stops in front of me, and I can't look away as he studies me. "I'm Johnny," He says, staring at me intently and not offering his hand. "Johnny Storm,"

I nod and step back, lowering my head so my hair hides my face. Something about him terrifies me, and I don't trust myself to be near him without acting like one of the girls who always follow him around.

"So," Sue says, making me look at her face. Something's different, but I can't focus on it too much with Johnny still studying my face. "We need a babysitter for Johnny,"

"What?" Johnny whines, and I stare at her as she smiles slightly.

At me.

"Do you think you could handle that?" She asks, looking at me sincerely.

I swallow. "Depends on if you're trying to keep him inside," I have no idea if I'll be able to handle him period, but that's another issue.

Sue sighs, as if it hurts her to say it. "If you're with him, he can go out."

Johnny sends me a look that's a mix between grateful and mischievous. "I can behave." He says, still looking at me.

"I doubt it," I say before realizing what I said, and his eyes narrow playfully. "I can watch him."

"Thank you," She says, relaxing. "We're going to do another study on Ben, so-"

"Yeah yeah, get out of here," Johnny says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry about us, we'll just get going," He shuts the door behind us and turns towards me. "Change into something comfortable."

I raise an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Hey, if you want to walk around New York in that, be my guest," He says, raising his hands in surrender. "I just thought you'd enjoy dressing down."

I stare at me, biting my lip. "Fine. Wait here," I say, spinning on my heel and shutting my door loud enough for him to hear.

What's his problem? He's not the one who has to babysit an overgrown five year old just because he can't leave his room without causing problems. Muttering under my breath, I dig into my suitcase and decide to just wear jeans, a plain back shirt, and my old Converse, opening the door to immediately be stared at by the person who shouldn't be staring at me.

"What?" I ask a little defensively.

He snaps out of it. "You look decent, I guess." I roll my eyes, and he continues. "Ever been to a bike show?"

I raise an eyebrow. "BMX?"

He nods, a light shining in his eyes that makes me want to get excited with him. "I like to go when I can, but of course my sister doesn't trust me not to get in trouble. It's not my fault I wanted to experiment."

I shake my head, heading towards the elevator. "I saw that, actually. You're lucky they didn't kill you."

"Ah," He muses, slinging an arm over my shoulders. "So you're a fan."

I knock his arm off. "I was bored."

"Ouch," he says, putting a hand on his chest as if wounded.

"Are you showing off or are you going to just watch like a normal person?" I ask, eyeing him warily.

"Actually, we have time to eat before we go." He says, gesturing for me to go in first. "I think Sue would kill me if I didn't at least show you around a bit."

"I live here, remember?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him. "I know my way around."

He grins dangerously at me. "But never with a superhero."

I just shake my head, thinking about how much tonight is going to stink.