Sunshine City, Florida

Ben Grimm eased the car into the parking space and killed the engine. He sat there for a moment, his hands still on the steering wheel nervously drumming his fingers as he gazed out at the street beyond the windshield.

It really was a pretty little town, just as he’d imagined it would be, a little slice of Americana. The buildings were low, the tallest being maybe five stories and that being the hotel back at the interchange. Here in the center of Sunshine City the tallest building was a mere three stories and that was the city courthouse by the look of it. He could see a post office on the far side of the park that made up the city center complete with a raised bandstand and a full-fledged fountain. There was the barbershop, the beauty salon, the local watering hole just off the short main street, a small super market. There were trees lining the streets as well as in the park. Flowers. It was freakin’ Mayberry.

But he had expected as much.

Benjamin J. Grimm stepped out of the rental car and dragged his shoulder bag carry all out over the front seat. He shouldered the bag and locked the door after double-checking that he had slipped his keys into his pocket. It had been awhile after all that he had had to worry about things like locking doors and keys, and pockets for that matter. Hell, it had been years since he had driven a real car and not some fancy machine that Reed Richards or T’Challa had thought up over dinner one night. It was still strange to be normal again, and still hard getting used to-

“Mornin’”

Grimm jumped and quickly turned about. The old man passing by on the sidewalk smiled and tipped the battered old hat atop his head. Grimm nodded in return, watching as the old man kept on his way. Just being polite, he supposed. Grimm wondered if the man would have been so pleasant to tip his hat to his other persona, the ever lovin’ blue-eyed Thing.

Probably. He had seen it before, too often.

Ben sighed, glancing up the street. He was getting cynical in his old age, or was it paranoid. He had to give Alicia the benefit of the doubt- and her little town, her new life. He wanted it to work out for her, even if it didn’t work out for them. If she wanted to spend her days in Mayberry, that was her choice. Hell, better than half of Manhattan dreamed of retiring to some little suburb like Sunshine City, and in Florida to boot. Why not Alicia too, after all she had been through since meeting Benjamin J. Grimm.

Bad enough she was blind- not that that had ever slowed her down. Alicia Masters was the most able blind person he had ever seen except for maybe the lawyer Murdock. And being blind had never been a handicap to Alicia. In some ways it was a boon, as her other senses made up for her lack of sight, helping her to be one of the greatest, most sought after artists of the last decade. Alicia Masters was the sculptress, the hot commodity of the art world in Manhattan at least, and her statues and busts sold for thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. How she could give that up to move to Hicksville he had no idea.

Yes he did.

It was his fault. Oh, maybe not directly, but her association with the Thing and the Fantastic Four had cost her dearly over the years. She had been kidnapped and tortured, beaten by some of the vilest villains on the planet- and beyond. All because the Richards’ and the Storms were her friends. All because she had dared profess her love for a big ugly brute like Ben Grimm.

He supposed that in the end she had finally had her fill. She had been taken by the Skrulls, replaced by one of their agents- Lyja- who in turn had finally fallen in love with Johnny Storm, the Human Torch and betrayed her people in the end. Grimm could not begin to imagine what Alicia had endured as a captive of the Skrulls, but whatever it had been, whatever she had gone through it had been the end. Not that he blamed her, of course.

She had said that she had needed to get away at first, time away from Manhattan and the Fantastic Four. Time away from Ben, finally, though not at first. She had begged him to come away with her somewhere, anywhere away from the hell of super heroics. Away from the daily danger and threats. Of course he had still been just the Thing then, the man trapped in the hulking, misshapen body of rock. He had tried to quit before, usually for her, sometimes out of his own sheer stubbornness and it had never worked out, never lasted. He had always come back.

He would come back again he knew, and he supposed she did as well. But when he had told her, half hoping she might change her mind, try again, he had seen in her eyes, in her body that it was over. She was gone.

They had split well, parted friends, but…

He had almost forgotten her when he got her letter. So he told himself anyway. Granted he thought about her every day, kept her picture in his room, near his bed. He had lost a lot of her little presents when the first Baxter Building had been ripped into space and exploded by Doom’s self-appointed heir, Kristoff. He had lost more when Four Freedom’s Plaza had suffered a similar fate. And then Pier 4, and the second Baxter Building, along with Noah Baxter himself after that. There was little left of their past, but for the memories. Were those enough?

Alicia apparently thought so. She had been the one to send the letter. She had been the one to say she missed him. She loved him…

Still…

“Mornin’”

Ben Grimm sighed and smiled at the mailman already well past him and turning into the next yard. Almost everyone he had passed had greeted him happily. A nice, friendly little town, or so it seemed. Just like the last time.

“Ben?”

He saw her standing there in the doorway of the big Victorian house looking like she belonged there. The house was painted a pale blue with white trim at the windows and the old slat shutters. There was a porch and a swing, a tiny balcony up by the attic windows. There was an oak tree in the front yard. And she was dressed in overalls and a beat up pair of tennis shoes, her long golden hair pulled back with a butterfly clip. There was a crusty brown spot on her cheek, dried clay.

“Alicia…”

She was beautiful.

The day seemed to brighten when she smiled, and Ben felt his heart skip a beat as she hurried down the short steps at the front of the house, forgetting how sure she was. How certain. He knew she probably had every inch of her little world memorized, but that still did not stop him from worrying, gasping as she started running down the short incline, almost leaping at him when she was near.

He caught her, spun her about in his arms, her feet high in the air as she kissed him-

“Ben…” she whispered, her arms wrapped tightly about his neck. “God, I’ve missed you…”

Benjamin Grimm bit his lip, his eyes clenched tight to hold back the tears. He did not trust his voice.

“Me too, babe…” He hugged her, held her tighter. Never let her go again.

“Me too…”

TERROR IN ANOTHER TINY TOWN

By Curtis Fernlund

The Grand Canyon Restaurant:
7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Johnny Storm stared out the window of the restaurant, nursing his beer. It was another hot, humid day in Brooklyn, and the people were out in force. The sidewalk was packed with shoppers, women mainly and most of those pushing baby strollers along the avenue. Across the street a big crowd had gathered, parents waiting for the local primary school to let out for the day. There was a hot dog cart on the far corner doing a brisk business, and an ice cream truck, its happily annoying song droning on and on.

Johnny watched the people as they strolled along, lost in thought. It had been two days since his battle on Governor’s Island with the Kree, and he still could not understand what had happened, what had gone wrong?

Spider-Man had hit him, slugged him! Spider-Man had knocked him cold. Knowing the arachnid’s strength Johnny supposed he was lucky that the ‘hero’ had not taken his head off. But still, why had he hit him at all? They were friends for god’s sake. They had known each other for years.

Had he been mind-controlled? Was that it? Johnny remembered watching as Spider-Man had stumbled. He remembered how the man had seemed to almost fly on occasion, and he hadn’t used his webs, not once. Maybe…

Johnny Storm sighed. He had always been a little slow on the uptake, but even to him it should have been obvious that the man that had helped him stop the Kree Accuser had not been Spider-Man at all. But who then?

Again, obvious, it had been a Skrull. It was the only answer that made sense.

But why?

He should have seen it of course. The imposter was making mistakes throughout the fight; stumbling, not cracking jokes. Johnny had been caught up in the fight though, as usual, and not thinking beyond. Just thinking of the moment and he had not seen a thing, then. That was his problem, at least according to his sister- one of many actually. No focus-

“Penny for ‘em.”

Case in point, Johnny Storm blinked and returned his attention to the woman seated across the tiny table from him. She was staring at him inquisitively, her head cocked slightly to one side as her big dark eyes seemed to probe into his very soul. Johnny suppressed a shudder and forced a grin, running a hand through his wavy hair. God she was gorgeous.

He had met the girl- the woman at Duke’s, the garage run and owned by his old school chum where he had started working not so long ago. He had been intrigued to say the least when she had come in with her motorcycle needing some simple repairs just a couple days ago and he had done everything he could to get her to go out with him right from the start. They had been having coffee when the Kree ship had appeared, and they had later shared a pair of ‘red hots’ when she had been waiting for his return after that fiasco- mainly since he had locked her bike away in the shop and Duke would not release it without Johnny’s say so. Good old Duke…

Now they were doing lunch, such as it was. Burgers at a place Duke had recommended, and Johnny had to admit he had rarely had a better. Unfortunately it was hardly a restaurant for atmosphere on a first date as the place was packed and had a sort of garish western motif. Still, seeing her sitting there in her tight worn denims and cowboy boots, her tank top and her long black hair just falling everywhere around her shoulders he decided that there was no place he would rather be than in the crowded restaurant with Kari Hunter.

“Sorry,” he grinned again, popping a French fry into his mouth, “I doubt my thoughts are worth that much.”

She smiled, melting his heart a little more. “Don’t sell yourself short, Johnny. I can only imagine some of your thoughts after some of the things you’ve seen and done, the places you’ve been.”

She took a bite of her burger as Johnny watched, his smile growing as grease and mustard ran from the corner of her full lips. She giggled, her tongue darting out to swab at the mess, lingering as she ran it about her mouth. She was staring at him, her eyes almost smoldering with… desire?

Johnny swallowed and sat up, trying to focus on the moment. Whatever had happened with the Kree, whoever had been impersonating Spider-Man would come back to haunt him eventually, but for right then and there he wanted to be lost in the presence of Kari Hunter.

Life was good at the moment, at least for him. He had a job that he liked, despite the pay. He enjoyed working on cars, always had. Rebuilding, refurbishing, repairing, it was a talent he had enjoyed when he was younger, without a care. Too, it was good to be hanging with Duke again, getting back to his roots a bit. He had become so caught up in being the Human Torch he had almost forgotten just what had made Johnny Storm tick. He had an apartment just down the avenue, small and sparse but home, and a job, a life beyond the Fantastic Four.

He hated that he had decided to move out on his own what with all the trouble Reed and Sue were having with FF INC, but he needed this. He would help where he could of course, what money he could contribute, and it was not like he was quitting the team. He was just across the East River, a phone call or flare away, and he could be at the Baxter Building in minutes. At least he was still in the city. Not like Ben…

Not that he held anything against his best buddy. Of all of them, Ben deserved what happiness he could find, wherever. Still, it had almost been a week since he had gone to Florida, dropping everything when Alicia crooked her little finger-

That was hardly fair…

Ben and Alicia had been lovers for years now, and even after Johnny’s short stint with Lyja as Alicia he could imagine Ben’s feelings. Alicia Masters was the purest soul he had ever met, kind, loving, beautiful. Hell, Johnny would probably sell his soul if she had called him.

But she had called Ben. And he had gone-

“Your burger’s getting cold.”

Johnny blinked again. He looked across the table at Kari, then down at their plates. She was almost finished with lunch, where he had barely started. And she was right, his food was getting cold.

“Not a problem to the Human Torch, dear lady,” he smirked touching a finger to the plate. It took no concentration at all to call up the slightest amount of his power. Within seconds he heard the sizzle and snap of grease from the French fries, the meat of the burger steaming.

Kari smiled, clapping her hands and laughing as Johnny took a huge bite of the burger, chewing with his mouth wide. Definitely a keeper…

Sunshine City, Florida

With a grunt and a casual heave Ben Grimm- the Thing pulled on the old dead wood, stumbling back as the rotted tree finally gave way. It had been struck by lightning years ago, and died, and the previous owners had never taken the time to get rid of the poor thing. No problem. Alicia had asked him to get it out- if he could. Like he couldn’t. Like he wouldn’t do anything she asked of him.

It had taken all of a few seconds once he had finally started. Of course the roots were deep and he had ripped up half the yard in the process, but he could fix that later. It would give him something to do. Not that he was bored, mind.

Still, retirement was not all that it was cracked up to be. He was not bored, but he was restless. After years of gallivanting across the universe, the countless battles with Doom and the Mole Man and the frightful Four, well, it was hard to settle down. And Ben Grimm had always been an adventurer at heart. Sitting on the porch and watching the sun set was not something he really looked forward to for the rest of his life, no matter the woman he loved was sitting at his side.

He could get a job he supposed, though the prospects for an ex-pilot, ex-football jock, ex-hero were just a bit limited in Sunshine City. Alicia had her art of course, and she could do that anywhere, but for him? He could probably get something at the gas station on the interchange, he knew his way around a motor after all, but there did not seem to be a whole lot of cars in paradise. He could imagine what Johnny would say to find the Thing pumping gas besides. There was construction too, he supposed, though again Sunshine City seemed pretty stagnant. There was not a whole lot of construction going on in town. Not that he actually needed to work as Alicia was rich, or close enough. She had already said a few times that she would take care of everything, but he wanted to help out. That’s just the way he was. Mama Grimm didn’t raise no slackers.

Hell, the world needed ditch diggers too, and like it or not, that was what he was best suited to do. He was a horse. The Thing was built to manual labor, and as long as he was paid for an honest day’s work he did not really give a flying fu-

Ben Grimm turned, barely hearing the frustrated cry of outrage over the sound of snapping wood. Alicia had suggested busting up the dead tree for firewood for next winter- not that it really got that cold in Florida- but he had agreed. It was something to do.

Ben stared at the house, at the windows that showed what would have been the Sitting Room a hundred years earlier, but Alicia had converted into her art studio and workspace. She looked beautiful there in the dim light inside the house, a dirty gray smock covering her clothes, her hair pulled back into a bun as she jammed a sculptor’s scalpel into the huge clay statue that she had been working on over the last few days. A statue of him…

That couldn’t be good.

Ben Grimm dropped the broken shards of the old dead tree to the side as he made his way across the lawn towards the back door of the house. With a casual thought he willed the change that reverted his skin from the rocky epidermis of the Thing back to the soft flabby flesh of plain old Ben Grimm. The change took little effort now, and the weariness that had originally come with the first attempts was barely noticeable. He would have to tell Reed next time they spoke that his body seemed to be adjusting just fine.

He hurried into the house, through the dark hallway and into the studio to find Alicia sitting at her stool. Her body seemed to be sagging almost, her shoulders slumped, defeated. He could see tears in her eyes.

“’Licia, baby,” he said moving beside her, his hands on her shoulders. “What is it?” She touched his hand, sniffed.

“Oh, Ben,” she said, her voice croaking, catching in her throat as she tried not to cry. “I- I just don’t know. It’s so hard. I try so hard, but there’s nothing there. It just won’t come.”

“What?” he asked and she waved her hand at the half-dozen, half-finished statues scattered about the room. There was a statue of Thor, the body stretched to its limits, hammer held high. Captain America stood proud and strong. A small figure of Johnny in flight, trailing flame behind in a spiral. And him of course, the Thing in all his glory. But…

He had noticed it the first time he had entered her studio. Ben Grimm knew Alicia Master’s work, he had been the subject often enough, and the older pieces that she had scattered about the huge room seemed almost alive, vibrant. The more recent works were lacking however. The faces were dull and blurred, the bodies seeming just out of proportion. The most recent, the statue of him that she had been working on looked more like the Hulk than the Thing, the body lacking any rocky definition and the face a smeared blur of twisted clay. He could see the gashes where she had attacked it with her scalpel and Ben felt his balls shrivel just a bit.

It was almost as though she was losing her skill as an artist, or maybe her focus, her desire. It made no sense though. The one thing that Alicia Masters loved at least as much as the Thing was her art.

“I dunno,” he said, not quite sure just what to say. “It seems okay to me.”

“It’s horrible, Ben!” she whined, sulking, her hands wringing at a rag, trying to wipe away the filthy stains the clay had left behind. “It’s gone.”

“Maybe you just need a break. Some time away-‘

“It’s gone, Ben. I’ve lost it, lost the passion. Of all the things I sculpt, I figured you would be the easiest. I’ve done you dozens of times. Hundreds! You look like a lump.”

“Yeah, well, I have looked better,” he joked. “Maybe ya ought’a set yer sights lower. Perfection ain’t so easy ta capture, ya know?” he leaned close, nudging her with his elbow and smiled when he got a chuckle. She wiped her eyes-

“It’s just.. well, without my art… what am I Ben? What have I got?”

“Ya got me, babe,” he said with a smirk, his hand on her shoulder as he leaned in for a quick kiss on her cheek. She blushed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him in return, full on the lips. He was breathless when she finally let him go.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said, tossing her rag aside and standing finally, her hand brushing along his body. “Maybe I do just need a break.’

“Sure…”

“Maybe I’m trying too hard,” she said as she crouched down and picked up a canvas tarp, standing then to drape it over his latest statue to protect it from dust until she got back to it. “Which reminds me, Philip will be by for dinner tonight.”

“Oh…” Ben Grimm grimaced, not looking forward to another night spent with Alicia’s stepfather. He had tried- really tried to not hold old grudges against Philip Masters, but try as he might he just could not forget that the man in better days had been an arch nemesis of the Fantastic Four called the Puppet Master. The man had put the FF, not to mention Alicia and Ben through hell any number of times, using his radioactive clay and mental powers such as they were to try and control all their lives. Despite Alicia’s protestations, no matter how many times she told him that Philip Masters meant well, Ben had a hard time believing it. The man had been a menace, insane or not. He needed to be put away. He needed help.

“Okay…”

Ben Grimm sighed. Pussy whipped already…

“Delicious, Alicia,” Philip Masters said as he settled back in his chair, his hands working at the buckle on his belt. Finally he sighed as he smiled contentedly, his belly billowing over the top of his slacks. “Most excellent.”

Alicia beamed at her stepfather’s praise, getting up to clear away the dinner dishes. She had gone all out for the dinner, baking a turkey with all the trimmings; stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, biscuits and gravy. She had outdone herself, calling it a kind of Thanksgiving in summer, thankful that Ben had joined them and that the two men she loved most in the world were there for her, happy and content.

Ben sneered, forcing a smile. He was happy and content, sure, because his own belly was full to bursting. Alicia might have lost her flair for art, but not for cooking. Not since he had had Easter dinner at his dear old Aunt Petunia’s had he had such a feast, and he had enjoyed every bite. Now however he expected it all to sour in his stomach as he looked at Masters. He had to entertain one of the men he hated most.

“So…” Masters said, digging at a bit of meat in his teeth with a toothpick. “Grimm…”

“Masters,” Ben said, suppressing a belch.

“You cannot imagine how pleased I am that you decided to join us here.”

“Yeah, well, I can imagine actually, quite a bit,” Ben smirked. “You knew I’d come, eventually.”

“Of course,” Masters said, flicking his toothpick onto his plate amidst the bones of the turkey leg and thigh. He belched, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “You are Alicia’s true love, despite your recent problems. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge that. I’d be a fool, and I’m no fool, Grimm, despite what you might think.”

“No, not a fool,” ya sick, psycho bastard.

Masters grinned. “So what do you think of our little community?”

“It’s… peaceful.” That was no lie. Boring, stagnant, but peaceful.

“Good,” Masters said. “We aim to please. I will admit that I had my doubts that you would fit in. I’m so pleased to see that I was wrong. Alicia is so happy, and that is all that matters.”

“Yeah…”

“I will admit, I was prepared to take matters into my own hands should you not answer her letter. If you decided not to come.” Masters leaned over in his chair and dug into his carry all. In a moment he sat upright again, holding a small figurine made of glowing clay. A carven image of the Thing. Ben sat upright, started to rise, but Masters waved him off.

“It wasn’t necessary,” he said, tossing the puppet onto the table. “I’ve done nothing to you. You came around on your own. I’m so pleased, for Alicia.”

Ben Grimm stared at the little figurine of his ‘other’ self splayed on the tablecloth. It was a tiny spitting image of the Thing, and Ben knew that if the Puppet Master wanted he could scoop the carving up and make Ben do anything that came to mind; dance, sing, even kill. He was that powerful. That he hadn’t, that he had admitted to keeping Ben free was a testament to all that Alicia had said. Maybe he was reformed, just like she…said…

“What about Alicia?”

Mornin’

“Jesus, the whole town. That’s why she can’t sculpt. That’s why everyone is so nice, friendly. You did it again ya little shit!”

Ben was up, his chair rattling to the floor behind as he kicked it away, stretching across the dining room table to grab Masters by the collar. Ben shook the frail old man-

“Ya did it again! Just like Liddleville!” he shouted, only his own self control, so many years trapped in the body of the Thing keeping him from lashing out. “Ya twisted Alicia’s dreams inta yer own sick little fantasies!”

“Grimm, no!” Masters squealed, his eyes wide as saucers as he saw the blood lust in Ben Grimm’s eyes. “I swear! I’ve done nothing to my daughter. The townsfolk, yes! They’re insane you know. But not Alicia-“

“What-“

Stars exploded in his vision. There was a ringing in his ears, a metallic echoing that would not seem to go away. He felt his grip loosening on Master’s collar as he staggered back. There was an incredible pain in the back of his head and his vision was swimming. Dylan was mumbling in his head, playing the harmonica…

He turned. “Alicia?” he said to see her standing there, the silver serving platter in her hands dripping fat and grease, a big dent in the center. She looked beautiful. He swayed as she raised the tray again and slammed it upside his head. Ben Grimm went down like a rock.

Philip Masters belched, falling back into his chair and guzzling down the last of his wine. The serving tray clattered to the floor.

“Very good, Miss Masters,” Geiger said stepping into the room from the pantry. A big, hulking figure clad in shades of blue armor dogged his heels. “Most excellent.”

“I told you,” the hulk said, crouching down to dab at the small swell of blood oozing from the cut on Grimm’s forehead. “he’s built up resistance to Master’s control.”

“No,” Geiger said, easing Alicia down into a chair. “It has more to do with the bizarre nature of his current physiology, I think. Grimm’s new ability to instigate change in his makeup has actually split his persona in two. In one regard he is the frumpy, overweight ex-pilot. In another he is the people’s champion, the Thing. Masters controls one without the other.

“But of course, that’s where you come in my friend.”

Sandhurst chuckled as he lifted the hair off of the girl’s neck, checking his disk. He moved around the table and slid down Master’s collar, checking the disk on his neck as well. All was good. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks,” Basil Sandhurst laughed, reaching into a compartment on his belt as he crouched down next to the still form of Benjamin J. Grimm. He pulled a slim, shining metal disk from the pouch and held it high, his thumb adjusting a tiny dial on its surface before slapping it to the base of Grimm’s skull. The man lurched, but did not rise. Sandhurst did.

“With Masters controlling the brute, and me controlling the man, plus your special modifications…”

“Yes,” Geiger said, his own turn as he pulled a larger disk from a secreted compartment of his own armor. He knelt and centered it on Grimm’s back. Suddenly the man started to float. “Nothing I would have attempted without our combined efforts. I’m quite certain that Richards took measures against my manipulations after the last time.” Geiger motioned, and the unconscious form of Ben Grimm floated out of the room, towards the door leading to the basement.

“We were quite lucky to stumble upon this community,” Geiger continued. “Even luckier that the SHIELD agents in charge were so inept.”

“Yes,” Sandhurst nodded in agreement, following the man in the purple armor towards the cellar. “And oh so lucky as to the inhabitants of this fair town. Psychotics are such strong personalities. The power…”

“At ease, my friend,” Geiger chuckled, pulling the chain to light the bare bulb in the basement. It would not do to tumble down the cellar stairs in the dark now. “SHIELD has provided you with power, and us with a small army of the criminally insane. And a Puppet Master with increased powers to keep them all in check. Thank God for Bush and his budget cuts!”

“Heh-heh!” Sandhurst chuckled, nodding his head in agreement as he followed Geiger down the stairs and into the cellar, closing the door behind him.

At the table, Philip Masters closed his eyes and burped, slowly fading away. He was content, his belly filled to bursting.

Alicia Masters stood dumbly in the middle of the room, blindly staring at the sterling serving tray bent and oozing grease on to her polished hardwood floor at her feet.

She started to cry…

Prologue:

The Reisman Children’s Clinic:
Upper Eastside, Manhattan

Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman of the fabled Fantastic Four gingerly cradled her daughter in her arms. She cooed, trying to quiet the baby, whispering sweet thoughts as she rocked the little girl, trying her best to lull her to sleep. Valeria ignored her best efforts, wailing at the top of her lungs.

Reed sat beside her, staring at the baby but not really doing anything to help quiet her. Sue could tell that he was there in body, but not spirit. A million miles away.

When he had finally come out of his lab at her and Franklin’s frantic screams he had checked Valeria, clinically, succinctly. He had found nothing wrong and seemed almost perturbed at the disturbance. Sue had been livid.

It was his daughter for God’s sake. His child! He would be worried if she had to…

Had to…

Susan took a deep breath and rocked the baby. She felt Franklin’s hand on her leg.

“Mommy?”

“It’s okay Franklin. Val’s just cranky after all the tests. She’s fine, needs to sleep.”

Franklin stared at her, then at his little sister. He forced a smile.

God!

Sue held Valeria closer, shushing her, her eyes drifting towards the door to the back offices of Doctor Bahkti’s private domain. How long could it take to get the test results? What was she doing?

Susan cursed. She could not believe that Doctor Palmer was dead. Retired and dead. He had been Franklin’s Pediatrician, and it seemed like only a few weeks ago that she had seen him last. Had it really been years? Olivia Bahkti had been one of his interns, a nurse Sue had thought, but it seemed she had graduated, moved on. She was now the Chief Medical Doctor of the Palmer Group, and begrudgingly Sue had deferred to her expertise. As smart as Reed was, he was not a Medical Doctor. A thousand degrees and he was not a real doctor.

That was not fair.

Reed was trying his best, but his focus was on the Four; Fantastic Four Inc. Just like her. Susan could hardly hold Reed accountable for what had happened to little Val when she herself had not seen a thing coming. Expected nothing. If not for Franklin…

He had come to her, said that the baby had suddenly stopped crying, just like that. Sue had gone to see what was wrong, what he meant and had found Valeria asleep and not breathing in her crib.

She had thought SIDS immediately. Children died and they called it SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome! But not Valeria. It could not happen to Val.

Reed looked at the baby- smiled- tried to brush her hair back but Sue pulled away.

They had been fighting some maniac called Gideon, and Reed had shot Franklin with one of his machines, turning her baby into a mindless vegetable, suppressing his powers.

Saving the world…

Not again.

Never again…

Sue looked up as the office door opened and Doctor Bahkti strolled out into the Waiting Room. She seemed young to Sue, in her late twenties and far too beautiful to know what she was doing in her low-heeled shoes and low-cut sweater. The doctor looked up from her charts and smiled as she strolled across the floor, folding her long white coat beneath her as she took a seat, crossing her legs.

“Mrs. Richards… Doctor…” she seemed almost in awe as she stared at Reed, and he barely nodded, his eyes wandering, his mind running calculations. Sue knew the look.

“The test results are negative across the board,” Doctor Bahkti said with a smile, folding back the papers of her clipboard and leaning forward. “I’ve consulted my colleagues and we are all in agreement. Your baby is fine-“

“She almost died!” Sue shouted, but Bahkti simply nodded calmly in understanding.

“It happens, Susan. Babies die, why we do not know. Perhaps they are just not ready to live. Their lungs cannot cope. They choke on phlegm. They lay wrong in sleep and suffocate. SIDS is very undiscerning in the lives it takes, and as yet there is nothing we might do to stave it off but be vigilant. You should not worry. Looking at Franklin I can see that you are a caring mother. He is happy and healthy and I think that Valeria will be too, so long as you remain vigilant.”

“Vigilant?” Susan stared at the baby, suddenly quiet in her arms, drifting off to sleep.

“Babies require care, Susan, and attention. I read the papers and watch the news. I know you are busy, but you must decide which part of your life is to take precedence; your baby or your career.”

“My baby…”

Bahkti sighed, “Susan. It is not necessary that you yourself watch the child every minute of every day. Lord knows I would go insane. I seem to recall that you had help with Franklin.”

“Yes,” Susan thought back to when Franklin was Valeria’s age- it seemed decades ago. “Agatha Harkness was his governess, but she’s…passed on. And Crystal, she took my place in the FF.”

“Perhaps you should consider a governess for Valeria,” Bahkti suggested as she recrossed her long legs and jotted something in her notes. “A nanny or Au Pair, a nurse, someone to watch the baby when you can’t.”

“We had a nanny-“

“What are you suggesting, doctor?” Reed finally spoke up, his voice thick with…what? Denial?

“Nothing, Professor,” Doctor Bahkti said with a smile. “You’re busy. Your wife is busy. It might be beneficial to have an extra set of hands around, just in case.”

“If you think-“

“Reed!” Sue shouted, rocking the baby again as she squirmed at the sudden noise. “Reed, she’s right. I need help. I can’t get the company on its feet and watch the children as well. It’s too much. I need help…”

“Sue…”

“Reed…” Susan sighed, holding the baby closer. She smiled, her fingers ruffling Franklin’s hair-

“I need help…”

NEXT ISSUE: Good God! Ben’s been kidnapped! Save your pity for Sue though, cuz she has to interview…Nannies! And amidst that chaos, a visit from an old foe! My sequel to my very first fanfic story at MV1 “The Gift”! Anybody who remembers that should know what’s coming. Be there…