Chapter 3 – Fairy Strangers

"We need to run a couple tests." Dr. Roberts said as he and Johnny entered the med lab.

"But there's a problem. My DNA has been changed…"

"What do you mean?"

"He means that at space we've been hit with the radiation that changed the structure of the DNA." Both, Johnny and the doctor, turned to face the owner of the voice.

"Reed?" Johnny came closer to his friend and hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured that you'd need some help." The older man said. "Plus when you left the guy that got me your ticket said that I have a bonus one, why not use it, I thought!"

"Liar…" Johnny smiled. "But I'm really glad you're here. I need your professional opinion."

"So I heard. What's up with that? You go all the way to London to play hero? Who is it you want to donate your blood to?" Mr. Fantastic sounded more like himself, but still very concerned.

Johnny sighed:

"To one boy." He finally said, but Reed's gaze was hitting him with full force. "To my son."

Pure shock was written across Reed's face. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Ben was in his bed, reading a book about Italian dictator – Mussolini. He thought it was strange but in their "apartment" there was a poor choice of books that were not about science.

"Get up, Ben, I've got something for you!" Sue came into the view, wearing dark clothes: black tank-top, leather pants, and black & white purse in her hands.

"What's up, Suzie?" He asked, trying to sound cheerful. "Looking good…"

"Thanks." She smiled. "You will too. Dress up, we've got to go."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Ok." Reed finally mumbled. "I want to know all the details but later. I need to work."

"I'll show you the lab, Dr. Richards." Dr. Roberts said from behind.

"You know my name?" Reed was amazed.

"Of course, you are my role model!" The other doctor said, excited.

"Wow…sure, let's go…Dr…?"

"Roberts. But call me Martin." He said and made his way to the door, leading two of the members of the Fantastic Four.

"And I'll go talk to Carmen." Johnny said, turning the other way to the room 407.

"We have to talk about it too." And Reed disappeared.

In America Sue and Ben with a blindfold (which was very uncomfortable for both of them) were entering an apartment. Sue set the big one on the chair and took off the black material. Ben didn't need time to adjust his eyes because there was no light on, only candles on the table set for two.

"Alright…Susie, what's that?" He said after comprehending everything.

"This is my surprise for you!" She answered cheerfully, looking at him with kind eyes.

"A dinner for two?" Ben asked, puzzled.

"A-ha."

"For who?" Puzzled again.

"Sit here and don't do anything, got it?" The Invisible woman said, retiring to the other room.

Ben nodded and looked at the candle.

In St. Anna's Main Hospital, in cafeteria Johnny and Carmen were drinking coffee in uncomfortable silence.

"I've heard you have this abilities now…" Carmen decided to start the small talk but Johnny interrupted her instantly:

"I missed you…a lot…"

She looked up from her coffee that she found really interesting to look at.

"Me too…" She answered in almost a whisper. "Especially the first times."

"And I missed him…"

Flashback

"Hello!" Eighteen-year-old Johnny storm answered his cell phone, his head still not clear from the hang over he had from the welcoming party the night before his friends organized for him when he came back from his big Europe Trip.

"Johnny, hi, it's Carmen." The girl on the other line said.

"Hi…" 'What Carmen?' He thought. 'Oh! Carmen! The girl from Madrid I spent an amazing night with! Wow!' "Carmen, hey, how are you?"

"I'm good actually." There was a pause. " Well…it's hard to say…"

"What's wrong?" Johnny asked right away.

"I'm pregnant."

"Congrats!"

"It's yours, Johnny…"

There was a long silence. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Wow…I definitely didn't expect that…" Johnny talked first.

"Neither did I." Carmen said, a bit crushed with what she was feeling and saying.

"Well, when are you gonner do an abortion?" Johnny asked.

"I…I'm not going to…" Carmen said but she got a bit angry after Johnny's words. 'Just told me to do it!'

"What?" Johnny wasn't sure what it was about, a hang over or Carmen's soft voice (he remembered it from the one night they've spent together)but he wasn't feeling all the weight of responsibility then.

"Ok, listen, the thing is I shouldn't have gotten pregnant on the first place…" She started to explain.

"Yeah…I know what you mean." Johnny agreed.

"No, you don't understand. When I was ten I got hit by a car. It was really bed, and the doctors didn't even believe I would survive, but I did. But all things have consequences and I was told that I wouldn't be able to have children, I simply wouldn't be able to get pregnant." Carmen stopped for a second. "So, you see it's only about me. I want this child because maybe this is my only chance to have one. And before you say anything, I can assure you that I wouldn't ask you a single thing, I just called because I figured you'd want to know…"

"Er…owe…am…" He desperately tried to say at least something, anything but words just couldn't form in his mouth.

"You don't have to say anything. As I said before, you wouldn't have to do anything with this child." She repeated. "Anyway, call me when you're ready."

Carmen hang up. Johnny on the other end closed his cell. That was the weirdest and at the same time the most serious talk he's ever had in his life.

End of Flashback

Fully grown twenty-four-year-old man took a hold of a skinny hand of his one time lover. She was just like he remembered her. And the most wonderful thing that mesmerized him, beside her Spanish temper, was her blue eyes. That was exactly how he met her at one of Madrid's night clubs. Their eyes locked and that second he knew that this girl with sea-blue pools would change his life forever.

Alicia felt a strong arm wrap around her small form and she knew that Ben was leading her somewhere.

"Hey, stranger." She said, gently taking a hold of his large hand.

"Hey…Seems like Sue made a surprise: a dinner for us with candles." He explained.

"How very nice of her!" A curly-haired woman smiled. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" Ben asked, sitting her on the chair in front of the one he will occur.

"Where are we? And do I feel the heat? A candle?"

Ben smiled despite himself. Sue knew how to cheer him up.

Seven blocks away Susan was just about to close the door of her apartment when she heard the bell. She opened the door, figuring it was Reed, but she was surprised to find a woman in her early twenties their. The stranger had amazing waist-length brown hair, green-blue eyes, and full lips. She was wearing black knee-length skirt, creamy-white dress blouse, black high heels, and dark cardigan. Sun glasses on the top of her hair and a small purse in hand. If Sue was a man, she would definitely start drooling, she thought.

"Can I help you?" Susan asked at last.

"Maybe." The other woman answered, her silk voice streaming through the dark silence building. "I'm looking for Reed Richards."

"He's not here right now. But I'm Susan Storm, he's fiancée. Maybe you'd like to leave a massage?"

"No, that's not necessary." She answered. "I'd like to meet him personally. When is he coming back?"

"I'm not sure where he is…" Sue started but stopped when she noticed a smirk spread across the un-known woman's face. "Excuse me, and who are you?"

"You'll know when it's time." The stranger said, turning to leave. "It was very nice to finally meet you, Susan."

The woman disappeared behind the doors of the elevator, leaving a dazed Sue Storm in the hallway.

TBC