Disclaimer: I do own the fantastic four and Chris Evans…oh wait, that was a dream. Woops!

I'm sorry for the late update, but real life is a real kicker and I'd like to kill the person who came up with the idea of school and the idea of tournaments that start at 8 o'-freakin' clock on Saturday! Sorry for the rant!

I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing, and everyone who reviews after the fact. Hope you like it, love, Brownie.

Warnings: this will have mentions of child abuse, and some graphic scenes.

This is an AU, it's gonna have flashbacks, and there is a 12 year old gap between Sue and Johnny, at the start of the story. Takes place after Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Johnny

Chapter 13: Someone I Can Trust Part II

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." Walt Streightiff

It would be an understatement like "The Hudson River is warm," if Reed said that what happened next didn't surprise him. Because he honestly had not expected Johnny, who'd backed away from him as if burned, to come running and throw himself at him with sobs wracking his lithe frame.

But even though he only had a momentary notice, Reed didn't even contemplate not catching the kid as a possibility and widened his stance in anticipation of the added weight. Apparently, Johnny weighed more than Reed assumed or he ran faster because as soon as Johnny collide with him, his arms wrapping around Reed's neck, Reed found his back on the floor, taking the brunt of their fall.

Reed ignored the pain, as he felt Johnny tears stain the collar of his shirt, and with one arm around Johnny's trembling waist, used the other one to push himself to a sitting position with his back leaning against the bathtub and his knees bent with his feet flat on the ground and Johnny cradled on his lap. Then, he did what was quickly becoming second nature to him: he comforted Johnny, one arm staying around Johnny's waist where it was and the other reaching up so that he could run his fingers through Johnny's hair – a gesture which had always soothed Reed when he was a kid.

Reed knew his technique had worked when he felt Johnny practically melt into his body, wrap his legs around Reed's waist, and his tears come to a stop since he no longer felt the wet spot on his shirt growing. Reed was about to say something when Johnny, in a voice that was muffled by Reed's shoulder, admitted, "I don't wanna take a bath, Weed."

Reed had no idea how to respond to that so he asked the question he'd always asked in his high school and college chemistry classes, "Why?"

Reed felt Johnny tense and, thus, started rubbing soothing circles onto his back, upon which's effectiveness he felt more than heard Johnny say, "It huwts, Weed." And when he said that, Reed knew without a flicker of doubt that it had everything to do with Johnny's foster father and his desire to just spend five minutes alone in a room with the men to show him exactly what he thought about him increased exponentially.

He pushed all thoughts of revenge away and focused his attention on the little guy in his arms, "No, it doesn't Johnny. How about we try this: you can run your hand through the water...without going into the bathtub," he assured as Johnny's hand clenched around his shirt, "and you can tell me if it's too hot or too cold. You only have to go in when you think it's just right. What do you say, Buddy?" he asked as he rose from the ground and placed Johnny on his feet about five feet away from the bathtub, letting him choose.

Johnny didn't answer – not verbally, anyway – and scooted closer to the tub and, after squeezing his eyed shut and releasing a breath, leaned over the ceramic top of the tub and hesitantly placed his hand in the water that halfway filled the tub. He'd been expecting pain and, therefore, it took him a second to react when there wasn't any. The water was perfect and he told as much to Reed, "Okay, Weed, I's weady."

Reed mentally raised a fist in victory, when he heard Johnny say that and gently undressed Johnny until he was only in his underwear and then hefted him into the water. Then sitting on the little barstool that he'd placed next to the tub, he grabbed the vanilla-scented, bubble bath bottle and, to Johnny's delight, poured some in. He watched patiently, with a smile covering his face, as Johnny went about rolling his arms round and round in imitation of a wheel to create bubbles and, then, splashed about in it, for twenty minutes.

Ignoring the mess, he told Johnny, "All right, Buddy, that's enough. If I don't actually get you clean you mo…," he trailed off, not believing that he'd almost called Susie Johnny's mom and that he was starting to think of himself as the boy's father, but, after clearing his throat continued as if nothing had happened, "…sister would kill me."

That got a smile off of Johnny making Reed smile back as he grabbed the little, metal bucket that he'd placed on the ground next to the stool and then used it to scoop water from that tub. He then tilted Johnny's head back and said, "K, Buddy, I need you to close your eyes," and only after he'd obliged did he tip the bucket to let the water run through his hair.

He then told Johnny to keep his eyes closed as he squeezed a dollop of Pantene 2 in 1 into his hair and then rubbed it in, before rinsing it out. Then after repeating the ritual with soap, he took the plug out, letting the water drain out as he dried Johnny off. He then wrapped him up in the warm towel, lifted him into his arms, and headed for Johnny's room, catching Sue and Alice, who were carrying three bags each, in the living room.

Upon seeing Sue, Johnny wiggled impatiently in his arms and held his hands out to Sue in the common gesture that kids used when wanting to be picked up, "Susie!"

Spotting Johnny reaching for her and calling out, Sue dropped the bags onto the floor and walked closer, pecking Reed on the lips before reaching for Johnny who immediately latched onto her, forcing Reed to reluctantly let go.

He watched as Sue once more grabbed the bags and carried Johnny into his room asking, "Did you have fun with Reed?"

Reed felt a warm glow in his chest resulted from feelings of pride that he'd never felt before when Johnny answered, "Uh huh, I played wid bubbles and I took…" before his voice faded out as they moved further into the hallway away from him. God, he hopes the feeling never went away.

…TBC…

So whaddya think?

Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

*wishes really, really hard*hope you enjoyed it, yours truly, Brownie.