A/N: I do not own The Fantastic Four or any of it's characters. Though I wouldn't mind own Reed--or Ioan for that matter! Who agrees with me? (silence) Okay...anyway, all I own is Gabrielle.
SO VERY BEYOND SORRY THAT THIS UPDATE TOOK SO LONG! DO NOT KILL ME!
pxleno52: I agree, that was my best chapter and my favorite to write. I'm very sad you don't get brownie points, but it's okay since that quote was from back in the 1990s. Here's another chappie for 'ya!
warrior of the shadow: The Johnny/Gabbie fight in the sky won't happen for a little while longer, but it's coming and I'll try to make it rock for everyone. Stick with me, it'll be here soon, I promise!
Xdaisy chainX: So glad you loved the "over-the-whole-being-dead" line! XD There will be lots of fighting soon and minimal blood and guts, just a bit more than the movie but not much. Yes, it really could've used more action but with Ioan in that suit I didn't really care about how much action there was! XD
ChrisFan13: Good joke, if not a bit corny, but I did like it. Made me smile and laugh and everything, I swear! As for whether or not Matriarch is turning into Doom, I'll explain that towards the end. Also, the her kissing Sue like Victor wanted to, I added that just for him.
TheTorch: You get total brownie points! Go you! Very glad you approved of my writing in the last chapter since it's, as I said to pxleno52, my favorite of them all so far. Yuppers, Gabrielle is really up for revenge and taking no prisoners; really tapping into the Von Doom part of her bloodline. Glad it was worth the wait, I don't think this one is though. Judge for yourself!
Dramafool: I'm very sorry that you have no brownie points, very sorry. Horatio is still a hottie and, okay, you can have the next Ioan if he's hot. "All things subject to change," very true.
Hiding in the Shadow: Very happy you're back! I was wondering what happened to you! But, yes, the line I used in the last chapter is from that movie. The answer will be placed at the bottom for everyone to see. So, I guess you get brownie point, too! Glad you like where I'm going; hope you like what I've got coming!
Yuriko Deathstrike: So sorry this chapter wasn't here fast enough; believe me, I'm kicking myself for it. I actually have the rest of the story plotted out and I know what I want to happen, I'm just having a hard time finding the words. Ever happen to you? Anyway, I don't care if you threaten me with your claws 'cause I'm a Jedi, so I'll just mind trick your ass into not threatening me. Ha! XD Don't worry about procrastination, I hate it. You love me? Isn't that a bit far? We barely know each other! XD
Also, thanx to scja, Alexandra-Black, pxleno52, Ms Genova and amygdala!
Chapter 8: Party Time
"I just called the hospital to see if we could speak with Dr. Graves again." Reed informed everyone as he walked into the living room. "Unfortuantely...the good doctor hanged himself from the ceiling fan." Sue groaned, biting back a gasp and shook her head. "Besides us, he's the only one whose seen...Matriarch." He finished a little uncomfortably.
"Back to square one then." Ben commented, standing next to his best friend while the Storms sat upon the couch.
"Okay, so what was that? And where did it put the real Gabrielle?" Johnny asked in his usual joking tone; only Sue could tell that he was truly concerned.
"That was the real her, Matches, and she was pissed." Ben said easily, his hard body already recovering from the tumble. "Looks like the Doom line has another crazy we gotta take care of. And here I had plans with Alicia."
"Sorry, Ben." Reed apologized sincerely, clapping his friends shoulder. "I think we should start trying to figure out just what happened to Gabrielle. Lab's probably the best place to start."
"Yeah, why not? We're gonna need answers to bring psycho-bird-girl down." Johnny commented as he stood from the couch and walked towards the others.
"No! We can't hurt her!" Sue argued forcefully as the men walked out of the living room and off towards the lab again. "I won't do it!" All three men shared a glance between them as they looked back at Sue. All Johnny could do was shrug, not knowing what to say for the first time in a long time.
"I don't think we have a choice, Susie." Reed said as he walked over to her, placing his hands comfortingly on her shoudlers. He felt for her, he did; but something had to be done. "We have to stop her before she hurts someone."
"Reed, no!" Sue shouted, trying to reason with him, as they walked faster into the lab. "We can't do that! She's just...angry and grieving!"
"And acting like a total nut job about it!" Johnny commented from the back of the group beeline. Sue turned to glare at him, as did Reed and Ben, at his mordant words.
"Talking about me?" The group turned around to see Reed's chair spin around, Gabrielle sitting in it rather comfortably. Before anyone could say a word, she flicked her wrist and shot them across the room with a stream of lightning. "Now it's a party."
Rising from the chair she slowly walked towards them, reminding Sue of Victor. The same stride, the same glint in her eyes, the same smirk. It was almost as if Victor's ghost had possessed her. Sue shakely rose to her feet, as did her boys beside her, ready for another attack. Not all that surprising, Gabrielle shot another stream of lightning at them, only this time Sue was quick enough to get a forcefield up.
"You just had to go and do that, didn't you?" Gabrielle remarked, glaring at Sue even more so than before.
"This may not be the most logical solution, but I say we split up." Reed suggested quietly so Gabrielle wouldn't hear. "If she plans to kill us, which is very likely, it would be best if she couldn't get us all at once. We'll meet up on the roof." More lightning hit the forcefield, and Sue warned them that she only had so long to keep it up.
"I like that plan." Johnny stated, a bit nervous. "I think it's a great plan. In fact, I vote we put that plan to action right now!" Without another word, Sue let her forcefield down and the foursome ran in different directions. Gabrielle just stood and watched though, sighing in disappointment.
"Hide and seek? I always did hate this game..." She sighed again, hands on her hips and looked around. "Well, which way did Susan go? I wonder..."
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Sue ran as fast as she could towards the emergency stairwell. She hated having to run but Reed was right, this was the only thing they could do until they figured out a weakness of some kind. She finally made it to the stairwell and pushed her way through the doorway and made a mad dash up the stairs. As she ran, she couldn't help but hope that Reed and the others were okay.
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"Come out, come out wherever you are..." Gabrielle sang softly as she walked through yet another hallway of the Baxter building.
She had her arms wide open, nails scratching against the walls. She came to the end of the hall and saw two choice: left or right. Little did she know, Reed was on the right side, catching his breath against the wall while hiding from her. Reed heard her footsteps move away from his hiding place and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Reed looked down the hall only to find it empty.
"That was easy..." He said to himself, and turned back to his wall.
"Too easy." Reed had to bite back his gasp as he came face to face with Gabrielle. He was about to hit her when she knocked his arm aside and wrapped a hand around his throat. She slowly applied pressure to his throat, stangling him, as she lifted his feet off the ground.
"H-How did you--"
"I work in mysterious ways." She said simply, as if to mock him. "You seem like a very smart man, Reed. It's a shame I have to kill you. Yow know what? I'd like to test something, Reed, and I hope you'll help me with it. Call it a gift, a scientific experiment. Okay?" Reed tried to protest, to say something--anything--but nothing would come out. She just squeezed harder, and Reed's face became even more red as blood rushed to his head. "Good. Now, should Sue know what it feels like to lose someone she loves, or not? See my problem?"
More mock was in her voice as she spoke to him as if he was a child. Gabrielle then did something Reed didn't expect at all, she kissed him. Her lips were crushing his with bruising force, and Reed found he could no longer breathe. It wasn't until Reed stopped struggling that Gabrielle ceased her minstrations and dropped him to the floor. She honestly believed he was dead.
"I always thought you were billiant, Reed. What a waste..." She stepped over Reed's unconscious body and walked down the hall, going back on her vendetta to find and kill Sue.
A/N: The line, "I don't know about you, Lucifer, but I feel so much yummier," was changed from, "I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier," was said by Catwoman in the 1997 movie Batman Returns.