Maybe someday, saved by zero
I'll be more together
Stretched by fewer thoughts that leave me
Chasing after my dreams, disown me, loaded with danger
So maybe I'll win (saved by zero)

Saved By Zero - The Fixx

"Okay, we really need to figure out identities," Eddie said when they woke up. They paid for another night, in fact, a week of nights, knowing that next week or sooner they'd be in their new apartment.

It still stung a bit.

He always had been very aware of cash and bills, or so he thought. But what he'd scrimped and saved was nothing compared to the pressure mounting on him now. He was at least used to it though. He hadn't confirmed it, but he had a feeling this may be the first time Chrissy ever had to think about how her purchases were eating away at her cash funds.

Names, first, though.

No marriage without names.

No jobs without names.

No apartment without names.

"Why is it so hard?" Chrissy groaned as she balled up another list of names that apparently hadn't fit the bill.

"I think we're overthinking it," Eddie said, "Getting attached or having emotional reactions."

Chrissy frowned, "Well, shouldn't we?"

"Maybe not."

"What should we do? Walk down the strip and ask people for random names, and then pick out of a hat?" She asked.

"As tempting as it may sound," Eddie said, cringing at the idea of some half-naked weirdo choosing his new name, "No."

"Do you think superheroes have this sort of trouble?" Chrissy asked. Eddie blinked.

"What?"

"Like…in comics. Choosing their superhero name. Or maybe that's different."

Eddie guffawed, "Chrissy Cunningham, are you…a…nerd?" He sputtered, "And how did I not know this at all?"

"I wouldn't say that," She said, face bright red, "But I have read some of Matty's comics. He loves superhero stuff." She said, "It's not bad."

"Oh my god, this is the best news. Would you be willing to play Dungeons and Dragons?" He asked excitedly. He'd been sour about leaving, but almost more so about having to relinquish control of his DM-ing to Mike. Sure he knew the kid had it and would have taken over next year anyway, but he had a great end to the campaign they'd never get to see. Chrissy coughed into her sleeve.

"I'm not sure there. I barely read them," She said, backtracking, "It was a stupid comparison anyway."

"No, no," Eddie shook his head, swallowing, "Maybe…that's it?"

"We pick superhero names?" Chrissy raised an eyebrow, "I guess it is Vegas. An…'Iron Man' walking around probably wouldn't even raise any questions."

"No, heh," Eddie elaborated, considering choosing superhero names for a second, and the near absurd hilarity that could cause, "Their names. I think we have too big of a pool of name possibilities, ie; everything in the world. Let's write down the names of heroes we like, and we'll pick from there," He nudged her playfully, "And if you aren't that big of a nerd, I'll help with their secret identities." He said with a wink.

They got two new sheets of paper out, and Eddie made a 'T' chart. School had used plenty of these, but he'd never willingly made one until now. Actually, making a 'T' chart made him feel like an adult more than the idea of getting married.

First names on one side, last names on the other.

"Let's put a time down?" Chrissy suggested, "And not drag this out. Twenty minutes, then we have to choose a name."

"Deal." Eddie squinted at the clock, "I'll keep time. Go."

Eddie began to cycle through the superheroes that he knew.

He began to write any ones that he could think of. He thought himself good with his knowledge, but being put under the clock? It was hard.

He hoped Chrissy was having the same difficulty, and he assumed because she didn't ask for his help.

"Aaand…done. Here's what I got."

He was surprised to see that Chrissy did have a handful of names. She huffed.

"I'm sure the male names are more fun. Why do all the girl names suck?" She asked.

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Half of these sound like they're friends of my mom," Chrissy argued.

Eddie glanced over her list:

Elizabeth Ross Susan Storm Jean Elaine Summers Natalia Romanoff Wanda Maximoff Peggy Carter Carol Danvers Bobbi Morse Patsy Walker Felicia Hardy Tandy Bowden Monica Rambeau

Internally, he scoffed. Not a nerd? Her geek status was showing. He swallowed down how much this turned him on and focused on the task at hand.

"Well, let's start…narrowing. I'll go first…" He chewed on his pen, "We can separate last names. So, just because we dislike the first name- or the last name- doesn't mean we throw out the whole name, right?"

"Agreed."

He glanced over his own list:

Steve Rodgers James Barnes Jimmy Woo Reed Richards Hank Pym Bruce Banner Peter Parker Thor (Odinson) Tony Stark Nick Fury Pietro Maximoff Clint Barton Dane Whitman Jonathan Blaze Logan Howlett Marc Spector Steven Grant Scott Lang

"I don't think we should have names of anyone we knew in our past life. Too weird." He said, meaning that both 'Steves' and 'Jonathan' were gone.

"Yeah," Chrissy said, neatly crossing out 'Carol' from her list, "I didn't like that name anyway. Carol was a menace to me in school."

"I also don't think we should pick any names that are…" He winced, "Not our nationalities? Like, obvious names? I mean, we want to stick in. I don't think either of us could get away with 'Woo' as a last name." He rolled a finger down his list, "So…that knocks off 'Pietro' for a first name and 'Woo' and 'Maximoff' for last names."

"Same here, along with Romanoff. I think my first names are alright," Chrissy said. She glanced back at Eddie's list, "Wouldn't that disqualify 'Thor' too?" She asked dryly.

"Well, that's just a weird name. Who is actually named 'Thor'?" Eddie laughed.

"Well, probably Norse people," Chrissy said.

"I think that's its own category. Names that are just too weird. First or last names. Things that just scream 'we're running away from something and have chosen new names in Las Vegas. So, bye-bye 'Thor' and the last names 'Fury' and 'Blaze'. As badass as they are."

"I guess…" Chrissy held up her list, "Storm and Summer are gone. I don't want to be a hippie in this life. I want to cross some off. Anything that sounds like a name of one of my friend's mom's names, be gone," She said, and then Eddie watched her furiously scratch off what seemed like half the list. She glanced up, "You don't have to do that one."

"Uhm, what didn't make the cut then?"

"Elizabeth, Susan, Jean, and Patsy."

"Elizabeth isn't bad."

"Don't care. Gone." Chrissy said firmly.

"Okay, you know what you want. I like that in a girl," Eddie chuckled, looking at how many names he still had, "Names I just don't see myself as…Jimmy and Peter sound like little kid names, and we're adults now. Sorta. I just don't like the names Bruce- it sounds like I should be a banker and I'm not a banker - or Nick. I couldn't see 'me' in those names, and the name James just makes me feel strange. I just don't think I'm a James." He said.

"Hmm…I don't think I'm a Felicia or Tandy. It's a cool name, but I think it's too cool for me."

"You're joking, right? You're cool enough for any name, Chrissy Cunningham," Eddie sputtered, "You're the Queen Cheerleading Bee."

"We gotta pick a name sometime this year," She reminded, "It's fine. Okay, now last names…not Walker. I'm not a cowboy. Same with Hardy. And Carter sounds like Carver."

"What's the problem with Carv- oh." Eddie winced, "I'd like to erase the last ten stupid seconds of my speech, please."

"It's fine," Chrissy said, but from how she swallowed, it wasn't. How terrible of him to forget the last name of the kid he helped kill. It was for the best that name was axed from the list.

"Your turn," She nudged Eddie's leg with her socked foot. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact. It was so casual, almost domestic in the way she'd done it, and though they were to be married, Eddie wasn't sure how to make himself not just think like a married man but act like one too.

"Right, sure. Okay…I just don't like Barnes, Banner, or Richards. Pym sounds too superhero-ish. I think people would get it right away, and we probably don't want anyone digging. And yeah, Lang just isn't my style. I'd like to move 'Dane' and 'Reed' to last names. Motion approved?"

Chrissy considered it, "Motion approved. The majority agrees."

"I'm also adjusting 'Tony' to 'Anthony'. There's a difference. I am not a Tony. I could be an Anthony." Eddie added as he scrawled and made sharp arrows and notes on his sheet.

He leaned back in his chair, reaching for his Pepsi.

"I got…seven first names and ten last names. Okay, okay," He nodded at the list, "Fucking progress."

"I have…five last names, but I'm going to be really honest, only one feels like it could authentically be me. For as short of a time as it will be before we're married. I guess if we ever divorce, it would be what I'd go back to."

"Damn, not even married and talking about divorce?" Eddie had decided to take a lighthearted approach to all this. What else could he do? Cry about it? Absolutely not, "I must be a shitty boyfriend."

"I'm just saying if we ever get another apartment, or…go home…" Chrissy rushed, "The option for me is there."

"Calm down. We both know it's just for the cheap rent," Eddie rubbed his fingers together, "What's the last name?"

"Rambeau. This means Monica has to go because that would be on the nose. So I have six names to choose from." She studied the list for a second, "I have an idea, Let's pick each other's middle names." She thrust the nicely penned list to his fingers, "What middle name do you see me having?"

"What's your current middle name?" Eddie asked realizing he had no idea. And likewise, she had no idea of his. Or so many other things.

They needed to do a 'speed' 20-questions or something before they walked down the aisle.

"That doesn't matter. I don't. I don't exist." She prodded his side, "Pick one, Eddie!"

"Bobbi makes you sound like a man. Peggy makes you sound like a little kid. I like Natalia, but it sounds too foreign…Elaine. I think it's Elaine."

"Good, because I really like the name Wanda. Sounds…whimsical, just the right amount of mystique for someone working in Las Vegas." She wrote the name at the bottom in small all caps, "Wanda Elaine Rambeau," She said out loud, "That sounds…real. Not like we just hodge-podged it from superheroes."

"Or Wanda's parents are huge Marvel fans," Eddie said with a wink, "One done. Back to me. Help?"

Chrissy took his list, twisting her lips as she looked at the names, and then back to Eddie. List, Eddie, repeat.

"Hank makes me think of a boy on the farm. Marc seems too modern for you. Same with Logan. As for last names, Stark seems like a weird one to me. I think we should take that off."

"Okay, I mean, you get a say more than most in the last name. It has to go with 'Wanda' and you gotta like it too. Wanda Stark just has a weird ring to it." Eddie said. Chrissy swallowed hard, as though forgetting she was picking her future name as well right now.

"Well, this helps. One second." She went through, whispering 'Wanda' with each name. "Rodgers, Parker, Howlett, and Spector are out."

Eddie gave a harsh strike, "Done. Look at us, shaving off names! Working together! Okay, okay, what's my middle name, Wand…y…damn, we didn't think of nicknames. I'll have to work on that."

"Why?" Chrissy gave him a strange look.

"I think married couples give each other nicknames, or maybe I'm wrong. Guess I don't have much proof to go off of, but," He shrugged, "I watch a good amount of T.V."

"Anthony. I'd shorten it to 'Tony', which we know you don't like, but I think that's a good, solid middle name."

"I'll take it. Now…here's the real test..our names sounding good…together."

"It's not a prerequisite our names mesh when we say 'em," Chrissy pointed out.

"Sure, but if we can, why shouldn't we? We are remaking our world perfectly the way we want."

Chrissy stifled a laugh, "When you say it like that, I don't know why everyone isn't committing murder - their high school boyfriend to be exact - and going on the run with a kid they tried to buy drugs from once."

Eddie winced, "Okay, moment ruined," He dramatically read off the remaining names, "Clint and Wanda! Grant and Wanda! Scott and Wanda!" He looked at her, "Any…gut feelings?"

"Not Clint. I think between the two left, you're more of a…" Chrissy reached out, her fingers ghosting just barely over his jawbone, "A Scott."

"Scott Anthony…" He trailed off, tilting his head, "Reed. The Reeds. Wanda and Scott Reed." He tried out all the combinations. At Chrissy's slowly growing smile, he sighed in utter relief, "We have it. We got it! We're named!"

Now, Eddie had never been great at English. It had been the biggest thorn in his side, causing him to fail high school twice. He'd been told he had a lack of creativity, but he just needed the proper encouragement, apparently.

Because he saw it. As the names wove around in his brain, the whole story came with it, his life taking shape.

Scott and Wanda drive off into the night, choosing to abscond and have a runaway wedding, eloping. Maybe their parents didn't approve? Maybe they both had wanderlust? They chose Las Vegas for the glitz and the glamour. Scott was someone who loved his wife, and Wanda was a bombshell, but she was loyal to him. They were starting their lives. They were so excited.

Chrissy maybe was caught up in the moment too, or maybe she felt it. Maybe the identity of Wanda was flooding her the same way it was overwhelming Eddie.

There was a moment of electricity, charged and breathy, where he could have sworn they almost kissed.

But then the pen clattered to the ground.

"I'll call Suzie." Chrissy said, standing fast, "And we'll get this all moving right away."

"Good call, Wanda," He said, trying the name out.

Chrissy gave a ghost of a smile, "It fits. It fits so well that it's almost like this was always meant to happen."

Eddie inhaled hard, frowning at the idea.

But there was some truth to it, wasn't there?

"Maybe," He whispered, "Just maybe."