Chapter Five: The Brother-in-Law

"Reed, well, what can I say? When I was growing up, I never had a brother. I had Sue, and she practically raised me, but I was one of those kid who used to ask for a little brother for a birthday or Christmas present. I never got one, because our mother died when we were young, but I still put a little brother on my gift list. Reed might not have been my brother by blood, but he was by heart. I know that I teased him and ran circles around him more than his own children did right up until the day we lost him, but at the end of the day, when I look back at the things he did for me, he was the best brother I could have ever wished for, and part of me wishes that I'd realised that before he got sick.

When he first starting dating Sue I was still in high school, and I got into my fair share of fights. Because he was always with Sue he got to see a lot of the black eyes and scrapes I came home with, and he never used to scold me like Sue did. Okay, Sue was my sister it was her job to yell at me about fighting, and Reed was just her boyfriend and was supposed to agree with anything she said, but I remember the time when he came up to me, and told me to stand up for myself but not to use fists in place of words. Naturally, I didn't listen to him because I was sixteen and I thought he was a nerd and knew nothing about fighting, but it wasn't until we became the Fantastic Four, and I realised what a good leader he was that I remembered those words, and I saw how he still lived by them. He hated to see the people close to him get hurt, and I can't tell you how many times I overheard him begging Sue to be careful when we went of to save the world because he couldn't stand the idea of losing her. He just wanted the people he loved to be safe, to be protected, and that was a main part of how a lot of people saw him; as a saviour.

He wasn't just a saviour though. He was someone you could talk to about anything, especially something sciency that no one else would really understand, and he'd never judge you for it. I never thought I'd be admitting this to so many people, but over the years he's given me some great advice, whether I had the courage to ask for it or not. He was serious most of the time, but he also knew when to joke around, and that side of him really came out after Frankie, Val and Evie came along. I know that every single person has come up here today and spoken about what an amazing father Reed was, but they're all right. He was a great father, and I know that I wouldn't have been so confident in my own parenting without some late nights getting my first daughter to sleep with input from him. It's what made him a good Godfather as well. I know my daughter didn't get her scientific brain from my input. He always made time for his family, and was a loyal and kind friend. From watching his relationship with my sister I realised that he was the kind of man who proved that chivalry wasn't dead. Even when he started getting older he proved that it was still possible for a man to open a door for a woman. Luckily our team's uniforms never gave him a chance to prove that men would still put their cape over a puddle for a woman as well, but I guess he didn't really need to with Sue's forcefields.

I remember our last talk together, and for once it wasn't the sort of talk where I didn't pay attention. It was a few days before he passed, but I had a feeling as I was talking to him that it would be the last real discussion I'd have with my brother-in-law. We talked about death, and how he wanted his funeral to be. I knew that he'd talked about this with Sue many times already, because he wanted to be prepared, but he knew that Sue wouldn't be able to deal with this alone. He didn't want his children and grandchildren to be forced into the traditional black outfits - he just wanted them to wear whatever they liked. He didn't phrase it like this exactly, but it seemed like he just wanted his family to be comfortable letting him go.

Reed Richards was a brilliant man, a fantastic man, and there will never be another leader like him. I wish that there was another way for me to thank him for everything that he has done over the years, but all I can really do is keep the promise I made him to look after his wife and his family, and to keep the family together. And with this, I ask you, as everyone else has done, to keep Reed, the brother I acquired through my sister's marriage, yet came to bond with as if we'd been brothers our entire lives, in our hears and minds forever."

END

A/N: So, what did you think? It was my first try at a multiple chaptered story that was based entirely on speeches. I'd be interested in doing another one, perhaps at a wedding, if everyone wanted to read it? Let me know what you think!
Sam
Xxx