Part Two, Chapter One

Wind and rain tore through the state as the family struggled to get away from the worst of the storm. Lightning streaked across the sky, with thunder rumbling seconds later. The family had been on a camping trip prior to the storm randomly popping up out of nowhere. None of them were prepared for the cold or the wind that whipped up rain as it nearly tore the tent apart in the process.

"Mark, Mark, where's Alice?"

The cry of the woman struggling to seek shelter from the storm alerted her husband, causing him to turn and face her. They had been so focused on getting out of the storm, that they hadn't noticed their youngest daughter slipping away. Panic quickly set in as Mark tried looking for any signs of their daughter. At three years old, she had a tendency to wander at the worst times.

"Alice!" he tried screaming out her name, anything to get her attention. With his wife being three months pregnant, he couldn't risk letting her stay out here, any longer. "Helena, get back to the tent! I'll go find her!"

The woman looked as if she was going to argue, when she thought better of it. Clamping her mouth shut, Mark handed her another flashlight before pulling the spare he kept in his pocket. He did his best to ignore the cold wind, and the rain that now soaked him through.

Mark didn't stop his trek through the forest until he finally found a large clearing. He noticed with a start that footprints lined the trail he was currently on. Alarm swept through him when he realized those footprints were about the size Alice would have been. That alarm quickly turned to panic when Mark followed the trail of footprints that seemed to lead towards a cave. He let out a shaky breath as he reached the cave, lowering his flashlight when he saw a figure collapsed on the cave floor.

He was hardly aware of the glowing lights that seemed to surround the still figure, until he closed the distance between them. Mark dropped down to his knees, feeling his heart race with dread. Locks of curly brown hair covered her now pale face. Alice had always appeared so small to everyone, and now, she seemed even smaller, if that was possible.

He carefully leaned forward, checking to make sure there was still a pulse. She was so still, so fragile looking, that he was afraid she might have been dead. Mark couldn't hide the sigh of relief that followed when he felt a pulse. She was alive, but barely. They all needed to get away from this storm, sooner rather than later.

Once that firm decision was made, Mark scooped the tiny toddler into his arms and made his way back out. What he didn't notice was the icy cold feeling of her skin. Or, the fact that the temperature around them had gotten even colder. The camping trip they went on that year had sealed her fate, as well as theirs. Nothing could have prepared them for what would follow after that.

…

Alice Cooper was beginning to learn that fate worked in mysterious ways. It was fate that forced her into meeting Ben Grimm on the Brooklyn Bridge the night she parted ways with her family. Her life had changed dramatically when she met Doctor Reed Richards, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm hours later. She never would have expected that she would find herself joining the team that was now known as the Fantastic Five.

Her life had been a mess before any of that. She could still remember the shabby little apartment she called home for a few years before the landlord kicked her out. Money had been difficult to come by since she lived on her own and could only work a minimum wage job because she had no college education. Because she had no money, she couldn't exactly afford food or other necessities.

Meeting Reed and the rest of the team had given her more than she could have ever asked for. He'd offered her a home, and so much more. She knew if it wasn't for them, she would have been jumping from city to city, trying to make ends meet. Having powers like hers meant that she couldn't stick around for too long without someone discovering what she could do. She'd learned the hard way that the world wasn't so accepting of someone who had powers like hers.

There were a few challenges and road bumps along the way. Alice had quickly discovered that her powers were constantly fluctuating. She never had much control over them to begin with, but recently, it seemed as if they were getting worse. Reed had designed a special pair of gloves she could wear that would contain her powers, and help keep her from freezing anything she touched. The problem was, she knew it would only get worse over time.

He'd run more research on her powers to find out what was really going on with them. Because her powers were so similar to the way the rest of the team had gained their powers, he was always trying to figure out where they came from in the first place. He'd warned her that in a way, they were developing much like Johnny's powers and still in their early stages. In a sense, her powers were evolving just like the rest of the team's powers.

That alone was enough to leave Alice wondering if it was safe for her to even be out in public. She was always worried about hurting the people she cared about. But, if her powers had the ability to cause a second ice age, and worse, she knew that something would need to be done about it.

She shook her head at the thought, knowing full-well that was only one major issue she had to worry about. Another issue led to that of none other than Johnny Storm himself. The Human Torch had a knack for making her life a living hell, even without realizing it. When he asked her out on a date that night after stopping Doom, she'd nearly fallen over in shock. It wasn't as if she possessed any of the qualities in the women that he seemed interested in. She was perfectly below average as far as she was concerned. Yet, Johnny's persistence had left her wishing that she could slug him across the face and call it a day.

Acting on violence wasn't something that she planned on doing unless it was a last resort. Sue still looked out for Johnny purely for the sake that they were siblings. That would never change. Though they still had their share of arguments, Sue and Johnny cared about each other like any other sibling would.

Today just happened to be no different as Alice found herself sitting in the airport lobby with the rest of the team as they waited for their flight. With Sue and Reed busy planning their fast-approaching wedding day, Alice couldn't blame them for feeling anxious about going back. Both were sitting together on the rows of chairs, while Ben stood not far away with Alice leaning against the window. She hadn't missed the fact that Johnny was flirting with every woman he could.

Why does that not surprise me? she wondered with a roll of her eyes.

Seeing the way Johnny flirted with every woman made her grateful that she hadn't accepted his offer. As much as she hated to admit it, Johnny wasn't going to change his behavior anytime soon. Not unless someone slapped him in the face and gave him a major wake up call.

"Last night, the F.A.A was forced to ground all aircraft, leaving thousands stranded, when electronic failures and mysterious power failures crippled the western United States. But the big story today – the much anticipated wedding of the fantastic couple, Reed Richards and Sue Storm will take place this Saturday."

Alice turned her attention to the television as a report about the latest incident occurred. Though, she was more annoyed over how they were making such a huge deal out of Reed and Sue's wedding. The whole thing had been blown over proportion, and she couldn't blame them for wanting to just get this done and over with.

"Unbelievable," Reed shook his head in disbelief, "Bizarre anomalies occurring all over the world, and all the media wants to know is what china pattern we picked out."

Reed himself was reading the newspaper while trying to ignore what the news station was babbling on about. Alice was just thankful she hadn't been the center of attention. For a short time, the media had tried focusing on her when they found out she hadn't been on the space station with Reed and the others. Alice wasn't a fan of crowds to begin with, because of her powers. But, the media only made it worse by hounding her constantly, until focusing on Reed and Sue's wedding.

"Hey, which one did you pick?" Ben asked as he leaned forward, "The blue ones with the little flowers? 'Cause I really liked them."

She couldn't hide the small smile at Ben's comment. Of all the people eager about this wedding, Ben had been the most excited. Reed was his best friend after all. He and Sue had also been good friends, even before Reed decided to propose to her. But, this wedding had taken the cake. Literally.

Before he could ask another question, or engage further in the conversation, Ben was pulled away by an older woman. Alice looked over her shoulder to see two younger boys watching eagerly. She almost smirked at the sight, noticing how much more welcoming Ben was to having his picture taken with the kids. He enjoyed those moments, especially when he realized that these kids looked up to him as a hero, rather than a monster.

"It's happening again, isn't it?" Sue's question was enough to catch Alice's attention.

Lately, their wedding had been interrupted by distress calls or other nonsense spreading throughout the world. Alice couldn't blame Sue for feeling anxious about getting this done and over with. Knowing what was to come, and that this would likely be something the Fantastic Five would have to answer, Sue had every right to worry.

"No, we're not postponing anything! Not this time!" Reed replied, the firmness in his tone enough to tell Alice that even he doubted himself. Sue just stared at the floor, clearly unsure whether she should trust him, or not, "This is going to be the wedding that you've always dreamed of, and, I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that. Not even the mysterious transformation of matter at a subatomic level."

"You might wanna get that in writing, Sue," Alice warned her with a cheeky grin while ignoring the incredulous look Reed gave her.

She couldn't resist poking fun at Reed's inability to turn down a project or the chance to work on anything science-related. He made it too easy. Besides, it wasn't as if she wasn't lying. Reed did have a tendency to get himself wrapped in whatever project the government asked him to take part in.

"That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me, Reed," Sue whispered, leaning further into him with her arms wrapped around him.

"Which is really pathetic, when you think about it," Johnny chuckled as he joined them, brushing past Alice in the process. She flinched at the sudden heat he gave off. Whereas she was ice, he was all fire. She had already learned the hard way that fire and ice weren't exactly a good mix, especially since his powers were, in a way, similar to her own. "By the way, you planning on doing anything when we get back?" he asked, turning to look at her curiously.

"You really don't get the concept of 'off-limits', do you?" she quipped, narrowing her eyes as he flashed her a charming smile.

About the only time he stopped flirting with her was when he was caught red-handed by the rest of the team. Though even then, he would often push the limits of what he could or couldn't do while out in public.

"Ah, come on. You're just a ray of sunshine that needs a little fun every once in a while," he reminded her with another laugh.

"'Sunshine'? I thought that was your nickname, Torch," she retorted, eyes brimming with annoyance as Johnny leaned further into her.

The smirk written across his face said it all. As annoying as Johnny could be most of the time, he did have his rare moments where she could actually tolerate his presence. This was not one of those times, though. She was already beginning to look for an escape route, wondering how he couldn't seem to figure out why she refused to open up to him.

"You know, I could always be your wing-man at the wedding ceremony," he pointed out, the mischief dancing across his eyes enough for Alice to roll her eyes knowingly.

"You're an idiot, Johnny," she muttered, pushing him away after realizing what he was implying. There was no way in hell she planned on letting him take advantage of her. Not with so much at stake. "And, the answer to your question is, no."

His smirk turned into a frown when he finally figured out what she meant by that. He was ready to say something else when he caught the glare Reed was giving him. Even Johnny knew better than to push any further under that piercing glare.

"Doctor Richards." An employee walked over to them and greeted them, "I'm very sorry, but it seems we're overbooked. We do have some seats in coach, though."

Reed turned around and looked at Ben, who was now holding up a couple of children by the hem of their shirts. Alice couldn't help but follow his gaze, knowing that Ben was getting a kick out of all the kids who seemed to admire him, now.

"That should be fine," he replied.

…

Ben was walking through the aisle of the plane, ticket in his hand. He looked at each seat number before reaching the number on his ticket. An older gentleman and woman were sitting in the two seats that would be needed for him. Ben looked at them apologetically.

"Uh, that's my seat," he told them. The pair looked at him with wide eyes as he tried to wedge between them. "Sorry," he grunted as the man sitting beside him stood up and moved to the aisle.

Ben finally scooted into his seat and plopped into it. Despite the uncomfortable moment, Alice noticed that he was having a better time adjusting with his larger size than most people would. She took her own seat by the window just as Reed was watching the flight attendants close the storage compartments. He discretely stretched his arm and put the suitcase he was holding into an empty compartment a woman was trying to fill.

We're all beginning to learn how to utilize our abilities, Alice realized, almost smirking at the thought. It amazed her at how quickly they all adapted to using their abilities. Sue used it mostly to escape the constant threat of reporters hounding her. Johnny, being the annoying ass he was, learned how to fly with his abilities. Alice, on the other hand, was still trying to cope with her own powers.

She realized with a start that sooner or later, she too would need to learn how to adapt with her powers. Maybe, that was why she constantly lost control. She knew that it was partly her own fault for fearing what she could do. But, there was so much more going on than even Reed or the rest of the team understood.

Johnny joined them moments later, walking over to where Reed and Sue were sitting with Alice sitting behind them. She'd taken a seat by the aisle, preferring not to sit by the window. Though, she regretted that choice now as Johnny leaned against the seat, his presence enough to remind her how annoying he could be.

"What do you think of getting an endorsement from an airline?" he asked. "Get us a private jet?"

Alice only rolled her eyes at that. They had enough endorsement deals as it was. The government had offered them enough to last a lifetime, as far as she was concerned. Besides, if something went horribly wrong during one of their misadventures, the government could just as easily turn its back on them.

"I think we have enough endorsement deals, Johnny," Sue voiced her thoughts.

That was one of the many things they agreed on. Johnny's inability to see what was 'too much' had always irritated Alice. He'd pushed her into an uncomfortable position when he tried asking her out. She simply turned him down, knowing that would end in disaster.

She could still remember reeling from shock over that question. It had been sprung so suddenly that she didn't really have a chance to respond. There were multiple reasons why she had never pursued that path.

"That is funny," Johnny said absentmindedly, "No, but seriously. Reed, it could help you subsidize all your little inventions."

"No thanks," Reed answered before closing the compartment above him.

A woman tapped on Johnny's shoulder.

"Excuse me," she said, letting him know he was in her seat. Alice bit back a groan when she realized the woman would be sitting beside her.

She had gotten better at opening up to the team, though, not to the point of spilling her darkest secrets. The same could not be said for strangers, though. She still had the same expectations from strangers thanks to her father. He'd taught her that trust was something that had to be earned.

"Consider it," Johnny told them before walking off, "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Johnny, where are you going?" Sue asked.

"I don't fly coach," Johnny replied, gesturing to all the people in the plane.

She nearly rolled her eyes at that, already aware of what Johnny had in mind when it came to not flying coach. He took full advantage of his abilities, something of which annoyed her to no end. Where Johnny wasn't afraid to show off his abilities, she was terrified of unleashing hers in the public. Yet another major difference between them.

Alice pulled on her headphones once the plane took off. She didn't plan on socializing with anyone while they were on their way to their destination. Though, the minute she saw something glowing beside her window was when she rolled her eyes in disgust.

A flaming human was flying beside the window, waving to the woman sitting beside her. And, of course, the woman took notice and grinned back with a wave of her own. Alice finally scoffed in disgust and tugged on the shade, having had enough.

"I hope it rains," she muttered under her breath.

AN: Here's the second part! Remember, reviews and feedback on how the story is going are appreciated. As far as the story is concerned, the second part is probably going to involve a lot of flashbacks throughout the beginning of each chapter, revolving around Alice and her old family. Mostly, I want to delve deeper into how she got her powers in the first place. Something of which I failed to do in the original. At any rate, thanks everyone for reading this, so far, and please remember to leave a review!