AN: Dear, readers. I'm terribly sorry for the late update. Things have been quite chaotic recently, and my writing was put on the back-burner. However, I was given a free weekend (finally) so I decided it was time to update a new chapter, before you hunted me down and murdered me. So, here it is!

Love, impalame.

P.S. Reviews are very much welcome. :)

XXX

The Fantastic Five

Chapter Ten: A Chemistry Lesson

Part One

These powers happened for a reason. They had to. I was in the right place at the right time with the right circumstances. That couldn't all be coincidence. Though I hated to admit it, maybe Johnny was right. Maybe this was a higher calling. Maybe we were given these powers to help people.

Maybe we should keep them.

These were the thoughts running through my head as I sat alone in a cafe near the Baxter Building. I didn't want to go home just yet. I didn't want to see anyone just yet. I needed time to think.

The cafe was nearly empty; only about two people were working and there was only one other person besides myself inside. It was quiet and the people inside didn't seem to care that I was Kara Richards of the Fantastic Five.

It was normal.

I shook my head. I had to stop thinking that. I'm not normal; never would be again. I was different now. But that was a good thing... right? I mean, I could save people. That was good.

A sigh escaped. Why me? Why was I special? The five of us; why were we chosen for this?

I looked down at my watch. It was nearing eight o'clock. I'd been gone for hours. Surely, the others would be worried about me.

I paid for my coffees (yes, plural) and left. It was already dark outside and getting chilly. I pulled my coat tighter around me, glad that I had decided to throw it on when I left the apartment earlier. Slowly, I began to walk to the Baxter Building, which was a few blocks away.

My thoughts continued to consume me on my walk back home. I couldn't escape them. Everything happened all so quickly. Just a few weeks ago, I was Kara Richards, younger sister of Reed Richards, the genius scientist. Now...

A blinding light caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I fully turned to look in the direction it was coming from and froze. Terror filled my body. Just a few blocks away, the top floor of the Baxter Building, my floor, was engulfed in a brilliant white light.

Someone was using the machine.

It wasn't ready yet.

With a burst of speed, I raced in the direction of the apartment. Adrenaline pumped through my system, pushing me faster and faster.

Dammit. Why was Johnny the only one that could fly?

I was a couple blocks in when it happened again. The entire Baxter Building was swallowed up in darkness except for the top floor, which flickered with white light. My legs pushed harder and harder as I ran down the street.

It took ten minutes to reach the building; too late to save anyone that needed to be saved. I got to the main doors, and paused for a moment. The glass had been shattered and the wooden door frames were hanging limply. Pushing through the crowd of curious onlookers, I ran into the Baxter Building towards the elevator, pushing the up button. The doors slid open and I jumped inside, pressing the button for the top floor.

It seemed like ages for the elevator to move up.

As soon as the doors slid open, I bolted into the apartment. Everything in the lab was destroyed. Shelves were toppled over, machines broken; even part of a railing was... melted? Looking up, I saw that a window was wrecked; it looked like someone had thrown themselves through it.

I continued to survey the damage when my eyes fell on a particularly horrifying sight. Ben's coat, wrapped over an unconscious body.

"Ben?" I cried, running over to the figure.

I grabbed the figure's shoulders and turned them over. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was Ben; before the storm. All the strange orange rock was gone. He was Ben again.

The machine worked.

"Ben!" I called again, more desperate for him to wake up. I checked his pulse; he was still alive. "C'mon Ben. Wake up."

"Kara?"

I looked up at my name. Johnny came through the elevator doors, looking around at the devastation in the lab.

I actually smiled at him. "Johnny! The machine worked!"

He turned the corner and saw Ben, immediately running over to give me a hand. Johnny grabbed one of Ben's arms and I grabbed the other and we hauled him into a sitting position.

Johnny hesitated. "Is he...?"

"He'll be fine," I told him, relief evident in my tone.

And even though Johnny fought with Ben all the time, I could see that he was just as happy as I was that Ben was okay.

We suddenly heard footsteps and the two of us looked up to see Sue rushing towards us. She took everything in, her expression one of worry. Then she saw us and rushed over.

"Oh my god, Ben."

"It's okay, Sue," Johnny told her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be okay."

Fine. Johnny Storm had a heart.

All of a sudden Ben let out a low groan. The three of us immediately turned our attention on him.

"Ben," I said, placing my hand on his. "Ben, open your eyes."

Slowly he lifted his eyelids until he was looking into mine. I gave him a small smile, which he seemed grateful for. Because then I saw the regret in his eyes.

Johnny spoke up, drawing Ben's attention away from me. "What happened, big guy? I leave you for five minutes..."

Ben, breathing slowly, said, "The machine... Vic used it on himself. He was affected by the cloud, like us."

Vic? Wait, Victor? Von Doom? What was he doing here?

"Where's Reed?" Sue asked.

"Vic must've taken him," Ben replied.

No.

I looked up, to where the window was broken. Had Victor sent Reed through that?

Johnny, Sue, and Ben followed my gaze, thinking the same thing. I stood and rushed to the doorway that led out to the balcony, Johnny and Sue following close behind. The balcony was littered with shards of glass.

"Von Doom must have taken Reed back to his building," I told them.

Before anything else was said, a whirling sound reached my ears. I turned, looking out onto the city. A small, tiny fleck of light was speeding towards us through the air.

Sue started, terrified. "Is that...?"

"It's heat-seeking," I said, looking at Johnny.

He already knew the missile was locked on him. He looked down at himself, almost cursing his ridiculously high body temperature, and then back up at me.

We had the same idea.

Sue, however, had not clued in yet. "We've got to get out of here," she told us.

"Wait a minute," Johnny said, "I've got an idea."

He stepped up to the edge of the balcony and looked down the fifty-story building into the traffic below.

Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

"Johnny...," I said. "Maybe this isn't..."

He looked me dead in the eyes. "It's the only way, Kara."

Then he slowly backed up, bracing himself.

Sue finally clicked in. "Don't even think about it!"

"Never do."

With that, he hurled himself off the balcony.

"JOHNNY!" Sue and I screamed as we watched him plummet towards the ground.

He got steadily smaller and smaller the more he fell; we almost couldn't see him in the dark. I looked up for a brief second to see that the missile had indeed followed Johnny, arching and turning down towards the street below. Sue was deathly silent as she watched her brother.

Johnny was still falling...

"Come on," I muttered.

He kept falling...

"Johnny..."

He was getting closer and closer to the pavement...

"Come on!" I yelled.

Miraculously, my eyes saw a burst of flame as Johnny transformed. He pulled out of the hard dive just in time and flew, he was actually flying, through the city with the missile on his tail.

Sue let out a cry of joy and I smiled at her, before remembering that my own brother wasn't quite out of the woods yet. I pulled away from the balcony, as did Sue. Ben was standing behind us, using the door frame to hold himself up.

"We have to help Reed," he said desperately.

Sue ran into the apartment, probably to put on her suit. I made to follow her, when I saw that Ben was following me.

"Stay here, Ben," I told him. I was all but running to my room, but he managed to keep up with me.

"No," he said, "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," I replied sternly.

"Kara..."

"No Ben!" I yelled, turning to face him. "It's too dangerous for you now. You have to stay here."

With a final look I ran to my room. Jumping over all the clutter, I went to my closet and pulled out my own blue space suit. The Fantastic Five symbol was embellished on the front.

And I felt proud to wear it.

XXX

I'd never moved so fast in my life than I did racing to Von Doom's building. Ben was safe. Johnny could take care of the missile. Sue was beside me. But my brother, the dumbest smart guy on the planet, was in trouble.

I'd never moved so fast in my life.

We reached the entrance to Von Doom's building, but Sue had stopped.

"Sue?"

I followed her gaze up. I trail of fire zoomed overhead of us, followed by the missile. Johnny. We watched him approach the river, the missile close behind. A ball of fire was shot into the river; it was only then that I noticed the barge floating in the middle. The barge caught fire quickly. Johnny continued to fly towards it, and I caught on to his logic. He was going to try to lose the missile in the flames.

Johnny and the missile disappeared in the fire. There was a beat of silence, and then a massive blast as the missile exploded. A ball of flames rose up into the sky and heat poured over us. I felt my skin sizzle slightly.

Then, to both mine and Sue's horror, a figure shot out of the explosion and into the water of the river.

"Johnny!" Sue cried.

I didn't know what to do. My mind and body were torn. My mind was telling me to help Reed, my own brother. But my body was pulling me towards the river to help Sue's brother.

Sue looked equally torn, looking between the river and the building in front of us.

We didn't have time to waste thinking.

"Sue, go help Reed," I ordered.

She looked at me, fear for her brother in her eyes. She hesitated, looking towards the river. "But..."

"I'll help Johnny," I told her. "Now go!"

With a nod, Sue headed into the dark building and I ran towards the river.

I called for Johnny when I reached the riverbank. Maybe he had climbed out himself. I began to doubt that theory when I didn't hear him call back.

I dove into the dark water. As I had come to expect, the water swirled around me and my body tingled as it soaked up water. I cut through the river easily with the water pushing behind me and my eyes had no trouble seeing through the dark, murky water. I searched for Johnny as I cut through the water.

It only took me a few seconds to find him floating lifelessly in the water. I grabbed onto him and pushed us up. We broke through the surface. Still holding onto Johnny around the middle, I looked at his still face.

No. I couldn't be too late.

We got to the riverbank in seconds. Luckily Johnny wasn't heavy to drag because I made the water do most of the pushing. I hoisted us onto the ground, laying Johnny on his back.

I hovered over him, tapping his shoulders and face lightly.

"Johnny," I called. "Come on Storm, wake up."

Nothing.

"Come on, no more kidding around," I told him, shaking him a little.

Nothing.

"Johnny, please..."

Nothing.

Kneeling beside him, I tilted his chin up to open up his airway. I leaned down, putting my ear to his mouth.

Nothing.

I placed my hands on his chest and began the compressions. I leaned down again, listening for a breath.

Nothing.

"Dammit," I breathed. "Come on, Johnny."

I did the compressions again. Still nothing.

Hopelessness began to sink in, but I shook myself. No. There was still time. There had to be time.

I tilted his chin up and pinched his nose. I leaned down and placed my lips on his.

I pulled back after two breaths.

I waited.

Nothing.

Tears started flowing freely and I put my face in my hands.

And right there, I began to cry for Johnny Storm. I cried for him. I cried for Sue. I cried.

A sharp breath ripped me from my thoughts and I looked down. He coughed, spewing water onto the ground next to him. His eyes opened.

I let out a relieved laugh.

Smiling, I looked at Johnny, who was trying to get his bearings. I placed my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me.

"How are you feeling? Does your head hurt?" I asked him.

He looked at me oddly. For a moment, I wished I could read minds.

"I'm fine," he told me.

I moved my hands away from his face and he sat up, stretching. He looked around, slowly recalling what happened. Or so I thought.

"What happened?" he asked turning to face me. Then he licked his lips. "Why do I taste cherry?"

"I'll fill you in later. We have to go," I said, pulling him up.

Surprisingly, he managed to stand on his own two feet without my assistance. He looked around again, and then he looked at me.

He looked at me strangely.

"Are you crying?"

I quickly looked down at my feet.

"No," I muttered, trying to inconspicuously wipe at my face.

A pause. "Okay then...," he said.

I started walking along the bank. I was not going to let Johnny see me crying, especially over him. I was just being stupid.

"We need to get to Von Doom's building," I told him as he followed behind me. "Sue went to go help Reed."

"We're going to walk there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Did you have another idea?"

"Yeah actually."

I turned around. Johnny was standing on the river bank, his body totally engulfed in flames. Why was it that this super power thing came so friggen naturally to him?

I scoffed. "That's great. You can fly. Am I supposed to swim there?"

He actually pondered the idea.

"I am not swimming there!"

"Okay fine!" he said, holding his hands up defensively. Then he said, "Come here."

"What?"

Now he rolled his eyes. "The big fight will be over by the time we get there if you plan on being stubborn, Richards."

I walked over to him and he held his arms out.

I stopped. "Do you want me to pass out?" I said.

"You won't if you're using your powers to balance it out."

The scientist in me started to calculate variables and weigh the pros and cons. I came to the conclusion that I really had no other choice.

I knew that if I was to get close enough for Johnny to hold me, I would need a lot of water all at once to fight off his flames. So, I thought about just that. Closing my eyes, I imagined all the water in my body pouring out and surrounding me like a shield. I pictured myself doing what Johnny could do, being completely consumed by my element. Transforming into water...

"Woah!"

I opened my eyes. Johnny was staring at me, his eyes wide.

"What?" I asked.

Then I looked down at myself.

I was completely made of water; I could see through to my other side. I could have spent hours admiring the way building lights reflected off of me, but Johnny suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me against him.

No sizzle.

"Hold on," he told me.