Disclaimer: I do not own Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four is the property of Marvel and 20th Century Fox. I also am not making any profit by writing this.
Meant to Be
Chapter 3-Talk to Me
Reed had no idea where to find Sue. All he knew was that if he didn't find her and fix things between them, he might lose her forever, and that was something he couldn't bear the thought of. He wasn't really sure what exactly it was they had a fight about in the first place. However, he did remember that he had become mad at Sue, and she in turn had gotten equally mad at him.
Reed decided that any place was as good as any other to check, so he went to the projection booth at the Hayden Planetarium. Fortunately for Reed, Sue was there gazing at the midnight blue night sky that was illuminated by a myriad of twinkling stars. She looked strangely peaceful star gazing, and Reed almost didn't want to disturb her. He wasn't even certain what he was going to say to Sue. For that matter, Reed wasn't sure that anything he could say would be enough to make things right with Sue. He took a deep breath, prepared for the worst, and hoped for the best.
"There you are," Reed said.
Sue turned around in her seat to face Reed, and almost instantaneously, the tranquil expression on her face was transformed into one of irritation, anger, and annoyance. Reed couldn't help but note how even when Sue was angry, he found her incredibly attractive.
"What are you doing here?" Sue asked in a tone of voice that held a hint of disgust.
"I've been looking for you," Reed answered.
This was one of those rare occasions where Reed hadn't planned things out to the last detail. He found himself instead going with the flow and winging his conversation with Sue. Not having a plan felt very strange to Reed.
"Well, you're wasting your time. I have nothing to say to you," Sue said.
Unfortunately, Reed and Sue were not the only ones in the projection booth at the Hayden Planetarium. Some onlookers were gaping at them as though they were viewing some soap opera unfold before their very eyes. That wasn't anything unusual though. Ever since acquiring their powers, every member of the Fantastic Four had their lives practically put under the microscope courtesy of the media.
"You don't have to say anything. Just hear me out. Please?" Reed begged closing the distance between them and holding her hands in his.
There was an internal struggle going on within Sue. On the one hand, she was still pretty furious with Reed. However, on the other hand, even the simplest gesture, such as him holding her hands, sent a tingle down her spine. She found herself momentarily unable to verbalize her response, so she merely gave an affirmative nod of her head instead.
"I love you Sue. I would do anything for you. I would even die for you. That's how much I love you," Reed stated.
Sue felt tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. As much as she tried to resist it, she found her anger start to go away. Truth be told, this was probably by far the sweetest thing that Reed had ever said to Sue.
"If you love me, then how come the mere thought of sharing a room with me scares you so much?" Sue asked.
Reed was temporarily caught off guard by the question Sue had just posed. First of all, because he sincerely believed that Sue had forgiven him, up until she asked the last question that is. Secondly, and most importantly because Sue actually doubted that he loved her.
"It's because I've never felt as close to another person my entire life as I feel towards you. The idea of me feeling so strongly towards another individual does frighten me a bit. Also, you probably have plenty of ex-boyfriends, but you are my first and only girlfriend I've ever had. I've always been a bit of a geek, and members of the opposite sex don't exactly find that attractive. Let's face it, I'm no Johnny. I guess I'm afraid of growing so close to you because I'm afraid of getting hurt," Reed explained.
Sue saw a side of Reed that she had never seen before as long as she had known him. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. She also felt somewhat guilty for reacting the way she had. She had no idea he felt this way. If she did, she definitely would not have said some of the things she said to him. His behavior started to make sense to Sue.
"You may not be my brother, but you have accomplished something he hasn't—you've found your special someone, me. You're right. I've had my share of boyfriends, but there's something about you that keeps drawing me to you. You're the one I'm with now. You're the one I want to marry. You're the one I choose to spend the rest of my life with," Sue said.
Reed felt that he didn't deserve someone like Sue. He felt like he was unworthy of Sue's forgiveness. He wore his heart on his sleeve for the first time. He bared his soul to Sue, and fortunately for him, his confession seemed to be just the thing that would make things right between him and his fiancée.
"You're right. There's always the risk of getting hurt when you're in a relationship, but every couple is going to fight from time to time. If the couple is truly meant to be together, then they'll get past it, and I think, no I know that we are one of those couples," Sue stated.
What was most ironic to Reed was that the words that Sue just said to him were practically the same words that Reed said to Johnny during their altercation. Reed was very grateful that Sue was so patient with him. Any other female probably would have dumped him for all but having a fear of commitment. That just made Reed feel all the more unworthy to have a fiancée like Sue.
"What happened to your jaw?" Sue asked her eyes shining with concern.
Reed started to get nervous. His heart rate increased and the palms of his hands began to sweat. He was fairly sure that any response he might give would be treading on thin ice. Reed knew that no matter what happened between him and Sue, Johnny would always be a big part of Sue's life. Reed had to make sure he chose his words carefully so as not to upset Sue. Without question, Sue cared deeply for both Reed and her brother, Johnny, but if it comes down to one or the other, Reed would be foolish to expect Sue to side with him over Johnny.
"It's nothing. Johnny and I just got into a bit of a scuffle while you were gone," Reed answered truthfully.
Reed noticed the anger reappear on Sue's face once again. However, it didn't seem to be quite as severe as it was before. Reed was unsure whether Sue was mad at him or Johnny, but he selfishly hoped she was mad at Johnny. He and Sue were just starting to make some progress too. He hoped it wasn't all for nothing.
"I told him not to get into a fight with you. I know his heart was in the right place, but I wish that he would actually do what I ask of him once in awhile," Sue remarked.
Reed watched as Sue's facial expression changed yet again. Now her face looked worried. Also, by the way Sue was narrowing her eyes at Reed, he guessed that she was mad at him as well.
"You didn't hurt Johnny, did you?" Sue asked.
Reed couldn't believe his ears. Here he was nursing a bruised jaw, and Sue was more concerned about the welfare of her brother. Johnny is the youngest member of the team. As a matter of fact, even though they aren't related by blood, Johnny is like a younger brother to both Reed and Ben. If Sue actually believed that Reed would physically harm Johnny, then she didn't know Reed as well as he thought she did.
"Of course I didn't!" Reed exclaimed.
"I thought I told you not to drag my brother into this?" Sue asked.
It was now Reed's turn to have an incredulous look on his face. Apparently Ben was right. He shouldn't have told Sue about the confrontation he had with Johnny. Still though, he couldn't get over the fact that he was the only one who came out of the altercation worse for wear yet Sue was going off on him. Did his openness and confession mean nothing to her?
"He attacked me first!" Reed countered.
"It doesn't matter who started it! All that matters is that you fought back! I expected better from you!" Sue retorted.
Apparently word had spread like wildfire that Sue and Reed were fighting as the projection booth was nearly at maximum capacity, and the people in attendance were not there to look at the stars.
"Look, can we go somewhere a bit more private to continue this?" Reed asked glancing around at the crowd of spectators.
"What's the point? The press is so damn interested in every facet of our lives that it's going to end up in the news, in a magazine, in a newspaper, or on the internet sooner or later no matter what precautions we might take," Sue remarked.
Reed knew that Sue had a point. Their lives were far from normal now. In fact, their lives would never be normal again. They were superheroes, celebrities, and as such, there would be no escaping the media.
"Will you give us some privacy?" Reed asked addressing their audience.
However, not a single spectator budged. All of them remained rooted in their positions despite Reed's request to be alone with Sue. Their gazes were fixated on Reed and Sue. It was somewhat creepy because they weren't even blinking out of fear that they might miss something.
"I have an idea," Sue said.
The next thing the onlookers knew, both Reed and Sue had vanished. Reed and Sue left the projection booth since it was apparent that the audience wasn't about to leave anytime soon so long as Reed and Sue were there. Thanks to Sue's powers, Reed and Sue were able to slip out of the Hayden Planetarium undetected. Once they were certain they weren't being watched, Reed and Sue became visible.
"You don't get it, do you Reed? Johnny's the only family I have left. When my father was on his deathbed during the last fleeting moments of his life, I promised him that I would take care of Johnny and protect him. I have no intention of ever breaking that promise," Sue said.
If nothing else, at least Reed was now sure that it wasn't just Johnny that was protective of Sue—Sue was just as, if not more, protective of Johnny.
"I understand, but let me reiterate that I did not hurt Johnny," Reed stated.
"So I'm supposed to believe that the 'scuffle' was one-sided? Let me guess, you just stood there while Johnny wailed on you with fireballs?" Sue asked.
Reed didn't know how to get Sue to understand that he didn't hurt Johnny. The way he saw it, he could tell her until he was blue in the face, and it still wouldn't register with her. So if words weren't doing the trick, maybe actions would. After all, actions supposedly speak louder than words.
Sue was floored when Reed leaned forward and kissed her. It wasn't a brief peck on the lips either. Once Sue recovered from her shock, she soon was returning the kiss with equal passion. She cupped his cheeks in her hands. He had one hand on her neck, while the other was caressing the side of her face. Sue felt Reed's tongue asking for entrance inside her mouth. Soon enough, their tongues were intertwined with one another. There was no semblance of time at this moment. In its stead, all that remained was Reed and Sue sharing a moment of pure passion with one another. That was until there was an all too familiar flash of light. Reed and Sue separated and looked at the source of the flash to find paparazzi wielding cameras of various shapes and sizes. They had been spotted once again.
"I hate the paparazzi!" Reed commented as Sue turned both she and Reed invisible as they made their way home to the Baxter Building.
To Be Continued…
I'm sorry it took me so long to update. After finals week, I went home to my parents' house where there were five people and only two computers due to my parents having company at the time, so you can do the math there. The past few days, there's been no company, but I've been sick. Summer school starts Monday and instruction starts Tuesday, so I really don't know how busy I'll be with my studies then. Oh yeah, and if you haven't seen Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer yet, you should check it out. I thought it was better than the first one, but then again that's just my opinion. Lastly, thank you very much to anyone who has read and/or reviewed my story. Without your support, I would have no motivation to update at all despite ideas swirling around in my head.