Damnation to you fanfiction.net!!!
Note Bene Ok, since fanfiction.net is being all crappy and stupid with me, I'm posting my latest Fire May Burn chapter here. The nifty new chapter is posted below and all of you can review it here for the time being. (Though it would be lovely if you also reviewed it on ff.net when the server is up again. :))
Thanks!!! :)
Disclaimer: I don’t own or pretend to own anything relating to Fantastic Four, the characters, or the actors. (Sigh) But I do own my plot and my own characters . . . so please respect my territory. :)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Control
Chapter Quote: “What would you have to fear if I could be controlled?”
It had all happened so quickly. Josephine’s grotesque features had seemed to melt and fade away within moments. Even now Reed felt wary of letting Susan go too close to Johnny as he lifted her up and moved her over to a couch. Jo seemed lifeless in his arms, her limbs swung like a rag doll’s and she seemed hardly to breathe as he set her down.
“What happens now?” Sue asked breathlessly, rubbing her temples as she tried to ease a raging headache that had blossomed when Jo had broken through her force field. Reed gazed around the building, his gaze lingering on scorched tiles, destroyed equipment, and damaged walls.
“I’m not sure... but if we don’t learn to control this, we’re not going to have much of a lab to work out of anymore.”
I hadn’t realized that fear had a sound. It’s not a scream, if you were curious. It’s the sound of silence in which you can picture how everyone’s faces must seem, and you can imagine the thoughts running rampant through their heads.
And I begged God for unconsciousness as I lay very still- but I was not granted my request and no one said anything. I begged him to relieve me from this nightmarish existence as I slowly began to realize that the excruciating burns on my wrists were in the shape of hand prints.... and that something must have gone very wrong.
But I didn’t fall asleep and I was aware of every sound made as I laid there. I opened my eyes but I otherwise didn’t move or speak. I stared up at the ceiling and tried to imagine that I was home. That all of this had just been some terrible dream.
But it wasn’t... and the sound of fear was starting to chip away at my sanity.
Sue made a large pot of coffee- enough to satisfy twenty people at least, and just enough to take the edge off the day for the Fantastic Four. Jo hadn’t said a word since she’d snapped out of her ‘Mrs. Hyde/Voldemorta’ mode. Right now she laid in a deathlike trance, hardly breathing as she stared up at the ceiling while Reed set about to bandaging her various burns.
Johnny stood at a window towards the western side of the building which overlooked the city below. But his confrontation with Jo had shaken him up pretty bad. His hands hadn’t stopped trembling since he’d set Jo down. Ben kept a wary watch over the silent patient, marking the ways her body shifted every so often, observing if and how her facial expressions changed- noting anything that might alert him to a change.
But there was nothing.
A haunting emptiness was etched into her pallid features, one that remained set in stone as the day wore on. It was dusk before she spoke at all.
Jo had been awake for hours, staring straight up at the ceiling unblinkingly until her eyes watered. She’d refused to eat or drink anything despite numerous attempts on both Reed and Sue’s part.
The sunk began to set and the remaining lights flickered on, illuminating the damaged apartment in a soft glow. Darkness settled over the city, but even the noises from below seemed to deafen as they traveled upward. The members of the Fantastic Four sprawled out on couches, nervously anticipating their next course of action.
Johnny hadn’t stirred from the window, gazing dully and mutely outside.
This lasted until well past dinner time until, with a sigh, Jo began to stir.
I could hear them jerk as I turned my head towards Reed, who had approached me again to look at my wrists. I wasn’t surprised to see him sitting there, though the look on his face amused me somewhat. His dark eyes sort of widened and his hand twitched where it rested on my wrist.
I decided Reed looked the worse for wear. I’d never really met him but once, and the fearless leader before me hardly resembled the vibrant superhero I’d seen so often on TV. His face was drawn, decorated with a few cuts and bruises and hollowed with a look that aged him somewhat. There was a fine stubble that stole across his jaw, and the silver shocks of hair on either side of his head seemed all the more prominent- badges of wisdom.
He looked exhausted, and I heard Ben shift his massive form closer to me, his heartbeat quickening as I continued to stare forlornly at his leader.
I wanted to tell them how I had spent these past hours going over it every possible way in my head. The strange sensations I could feel coursing through my body, the scorched hand prints on my wrists, the fear in their faces. But all that would come to me was a recurrent nightmarish memory. Like a dream, a dream in which something horrible had tried to attack them again and again. Something that Johnny had fought and eventually stopped.
And as I put the pieces together, I found I had come to only one conclusion, that I was the cause of that fear and that, somehow, I was a monster.
Ben seemed nearly ready to burst as the hands clenched at his sides stiffened. Sue seemed frozen in place and Johnny hadn’t stirred from his place by the window. Reed hadn’t let go of Jo’s arm, and now he looked back at her with as much calmness as he could muster. Jo’s eyes seemed too large for her head, black and depthless.
Even her eyelashes seemed to blend into them, creating an impression of two, dark voids in her face. She blinked, staring at him for just a moment before she spoke.
“I can’t remember what I did to you.” She said softly, her eyes lowered as she cleared her throat. “But I know I hurt you all somehow. I keep having these dreams...” She closed her eyes and grimaced. “...horrible dreams.” Her eyes watered as she continued. “Why then,” She said slowly, meeting Reed’s gaze. “... have you allowed me to live in this way?”
She sighed and she sank back into the couch, utterly exhausted and emotionally drained. “Why then, am I still alive?”
The question seemed to float without answer. No one would respond and I sensed Johnny’s heartbeat quicken as he whirled from his present position to face me. Reed cleared his throat, I could sense his emotions raging within. They seemed to radiate from underneath his skin- his anguish, his fear for his family.
But still, no one answered.
“This is bullshit.” Johnny growled, rushing to the couch he looked angry enough to pummel someone. His skin had started to smoke and his eyes had taken on a reddish hue. “Of course we can’t kill you.”
Jo’s eyes snapped to him, her countenance darkening as she sat up, her muscles visibly tense beneath the remnants of her tattered clothing. “Is it? I must have tried to kill you alone at least three separate times if the pieces of my memories are correct. That was since you found me, how long have I been here? A few days? A week?” She had pushed herself off the couch and away from Reed now with a startling swiftness as her bare feet skidded on the floor. “What about Susan?”
Jo averted her gaze to the Invisible Women who’s emotions seemed to be running rampant as various portions of her flickered in the visibility range. She stood rigidly in the kitchen, hardly daring to meet Jo’s gaze as the young woman pointed to her.
“What would you have to fear if I could be controlled?” She paused, as if remembering something. “I tried to hurt you too.” She paused, concentrating. Her eyes shifted from Sue’s face to her slender form and her eyes widened perceptively. “... the baby?” She asked, brokenly. She stared at her hands, almost translucent as her black veins appeared visibly beneath her skin. “I tried to hurt your baby...?” Jo turned away, cradling her head with her hand. She looked at Ben, clearly stricken as her steps faltered. “You couldn’t stop me- not with all of your strength, could you? Don’t you all get it? When is Reed going to run out of ideas?” She looked again at her hands, and she backed away from the light.
“I don’t know what I have become.” She whispered, retreating into one of the dark corners of the room. She breathed heavily, trying to control the onslaught of her tears. And for a moment, no one moved to follow her as she faded into the shadows.
Johnny was the first to react. Fuming as he glowered at her in the darkness, his face twisted into something of rage and, raising a hand, he hurled a ball of flame in her direction with a gutteral cry and braced himself as the sound of Jo’s tears stopped.
Two glowing eyes appeared and, within a few seconds, she had leapt at him- one arm reaching forward with long claws extending. What was strange though, was that only Jo’s face and poised arm seemed to have changed. And, prepared for her assault, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to his body.
I could feel the anger running through me and it felt more natural then even blood. Rage fueled me and I had found it effortless to attack him. It had been self-defense after all, someone had tried to hurt me.
That’s what half of me had said anyway.
The other half had been horrified that I would attack anyone, which was why I found myself torn and helpless when the person who had attacked me, turned out to be Johnny. And Johnny didn’t fight back. He pulled me close to him, and I felt a rush as I breathed in his aroma, and felt myself weaken as he pressed me close to his lithe, well-muscled body. I felt suddenly small, and I found he towered over me as the darkness faded away, and something in me snapped as my claws receded and I was powerless again.
I cried out in pain and crumbled against him- no longer possessing the strength to hold myself up.
Johnny fell to his knees as I fell against him, and he clutched me to him as I begin to tremble with horror. I had been all to aware of what I had tried to do. The emotion had been painfully apparent, and I had done nothing to stop it as it had demanded me to take action against him.
I had done nothing.
She was sobbing now, limp in his arms as he pulled away slightly from her and brought a hand to her face. Jo’s eyes, still black, did not seem to altogether comprehend what had happened. He positioned her hand in front of her and watched with her as the claws receded back into her hand.
“See.” He said breathlessly, looking deeply into her eyes and taking the hand into his own. “You can control this.”
He sought understanding from her black depths, seeking any sign that she understood what he was trying to tell her. “You can get better.”
Tears trailing down her cheeks, a weak smile tugged briefly at her lips and, for just a moment, her eyes flickered a beautiful blue.
Susan helped me to find some clothes.
Normally, I would have been smaller then her- I had been ill for a while and had maintained an unhealthy wait for some time now. But something, among many things, had changed- and I felt stronger now.
I seemed to have muscles in places I hadn’t even considered before. My own clothes, the remnants of some sort of hospital gown, hung from my shoulders in pieces. Scars, like long tattoos, streaked across my skin like black snakes- squirming their way about me. Half-faded and crooked, they seemed to slash across my pale flesh in all directions.
I shuddered as I questioned for the millionth time what could have possibly happened to me, but found no answers in the ruins of my memories. My clothes peeled off in strips, and Susan slipped a robe over my naked body and led me wordlessly to a shower.
She drew a bath and I slid into the steamy water with my bandaged hands upheld. There were some minor burns across my stomach, and I winced as they touched the warm water. I felt slightly dazed as she helped me to scrub the filth from my body. I nearly fell asleep as she gently kneaded my head, rubbing sweet smelling shampoos into my tangled mess of hair.
I felt nearly human again when I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off. Susan produced some sweats for me, but even the Invisible Woman couldn’t hide her grimace as her eyes swept over my scars.
My face flushed with shame and embarrassment and I found I couldn’t meet her gaze as she straightened and looked me full in the face. Newly clothed, I crossed my arms over my chest, fighting back tears as the awful ache haunted me again.
I hated this.
She sighed, “A good friend once told me that you should never be afraid to ask and accept help.”
I shook my head. “This is different.” I searched her face. “I tried to kill you, I tried to kill your baby.” I imagined the innocent life inside of her, a child not yet fully grown. A child who was a part of one someone who had once been like a sister to me. And I had tried to destroy that life, and her, I had tried to snuff them out like candles. I felt Susan slip her hand around my shoulders.
“You didn’t chose this Jo... and we’re going to fix it.”
During my absence, the boys had started to pick up the apartment. Ben was lifting the destroyed machinery and showing it to Reed, who told him what could and could not be repaired. Johnny was in the kitchen, filling up a bucket of water. There were cracks in the floor, and a series of black, scorch marks decorating both the tiles and the walls.
Susan had her arm around my shoulders as we walked downstairs and I noted how Ben looked up and seemed to mark my every move as I made my way down. Not that I blamed him, I wouldn’t have trusted me either in his position. I didn’t condemn his wariness, at this point I was like a bomb, at any moment I could explode and cause their ultimate destruction. Their patience amazed me, as did their aptitude to risk their lives to help me, someone they hardly knew at all.
In no way had I earned this sort of friendship- and yet they gave it to me freely all the same. Susan led me into the kitchen and we drank some hot coffee while Reed put together some sort of machine. I didn’t ask what it was for- but I knew it would have something to do with me.
No one spoke, Johnny was scrubbing the scorch marks on the floor and Reed murmured occasionally to Ben, who stood at his side. An hour or so later, the machine appeared complete and Reed beckoned me over.
I felt nervous as I stood before him and Ben. It was well into the morning now, and I could see how they both seemed to droop a little with fatigue. I didn’t really know either of them. Reed was kind and soft-spoke, while Ben- the fearless protector- was wary of me, and rarely said anything to me at all.
I stole a quick glance at Johnny, who stood a few feet off, pausing in his scrubbing to look back up at me. I cleared my throat and looked hesitantly at Reed. “So... what exactly do you want me to do?”
He pointed to the machine behind him. “This is going to track your internal functions to see what it is that is making these changes.”
I shifted and felt myself grow tense as he spoke, bile rose in my throat. “How long will this take?”
“As long as it needs to.” He replied.
I shook my head, “I can’t ask this of you.” I answered, feeling frantic as I thought of being hooked up to more machines. “You guys are supposed to be out there saving people, not trying to figure out what’s wrong with me.”
“Look kid... until we figure out what’s wrong with you, we are saving people... from you.” Ben answered gruffly.
“Don’t worry.” Susan added, taking my hand and squeezing it. “We’re here for you, it’s going to be ok.”
I wanted to believe her, I wanted to believe her so badly. This wasn’t an illness anymore- this was life and death. My life and their deaths. I didn’t want to voice my fears, and I only nodded my head to show my consent. But something else gnawed at the back of my mind, something that festered like an open wound.
What would happen if I couldn’t get better? What would happen if I had to live like this... forever?
A/N: Surprised to see an update? Me too. I copped out of doing homework one night and typed this up with all of you in mind. :) Happy Easter all! I’m alternating between working on a presentation for class today, stuffing my face with Starburst Jelly Beans (yum), and now posting this for my delicious, darling reviewers.
Ah, Angsty Jo will be around for a while I’m afraid. Just a warning against the tendency for me to sound redundant. But a scene involving Johnny chucking a fireball at her was just something I couldn’t resist. Next chapter will have a little fluff in it and will really begin Jo’s ability to control herself a bit more. (I know you are all waiting curiously for that) along with some more Jo/Johnny banter. A series of flashbacks are also on their way, so don’t think I’ve left Johnny and Jo’s past out in the rain.
I am going to respond to a number of your reviews. When they consist of more then a one-liner response, I normally take the time to reply. This week has been crazy with school and all, but replies are on their way!!! :)
Thanks again for the reviews all, till the next update!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks!!! :)
Disclaimer: I don’t own or pretend to own anything relating to Fantastic Four, the characters, or the actors. (Sigh) But I do own my plot and my own characters . . . so please respect my territory. :)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Control
Chapter Quote: “What would you have to fear if I could be controlled?”
It had all happened so quickly. Josephine’s grotesque features had seemed to melt and fade away within moments. Even now Reed felt wary of letting Susan go too close to Johnny as he lifted her up and moved her over to a couch. Jo seemed lifeless in his arms, her limbs swung like a rag doll’s and she seemed hardly to breathe as he set her down.
“What happens now?” Sue asked breathlessly, rubbing her temples as she tried to ease a raging headache that had blossomed when Jo had broken through her force field. Reed gazed around the building, his gaze lingering on scorched tiles, destroyed equipment, and damaged walls.
“I’m not sure... but if we don’t learn to control this, we’re not going to have much of a lab to work out of anymore.”
I hadn’t realized that fear had a sound. It’s not a scream, if you were curious. It’s the sound of silence in which you can picture how everyone’s faces must seem, and you can imagine the thoughts running rampant through their heads.
And I begged God for unconsciousness as I lay very still- but I was not granted my request and no one said anything. I begged him to relieve me from this nightmarish existence as I slowly began to realize that the excruciating burns on my wrists were in the shape of hand prints.... and that something must have gone very wrong.
But I didn’t fall asleep and I was aware of every sound made as I laid there. I opened my eyes but I otherwise didn’t move or speak. I stared up at the ceiling and tried to imagine that I was home. That all of this had just been some terrible dream.
But it wasn’t... and the sound of fear was starting to chip away at my sanity.
Sue made a large pot of coffee- enough to satisfy twenty people at least, and just enough to take the edge off the day for the Fantastic Four. Jo hadn’t said a word since she’d snapped out of her ‘Mrs. Hyde/Voldemorta’ mode. Right now she laid in a deathlike trance, hardly breathing as she stared up at the ceiling while Reed set about to bandaging her various burns.
Johnny stood at a window towards the western side of the building which overlooked the city below. But his confrontation with Jo had shaken him up pretty bad. His hands hadn’t stopped trembling since he’d set Jo down. Ben kept a wary watch over the silent patient, marking the ways her body shifted every so often, observing if and how her facial expressions changed- noting anything that might alert him to a change.
But there was nothing.
A haunting emptiness was etched into her pallid features, one that remained set in stone as the day wore on. It was dusk before she spoke at all.
Jo had been awake for hours, staring straight up at the ceiling unblinkingly until her eyes watered. She’d refused to eat or drink anything despite numerous attempts on both Reed and Sue’s part.
The sunk began to set and the remaining lights flickered on, illuminating the damaged apartment in a soft glow. Darkness settled over the city, but even the noises from below seemed to deafen as they traveled upward. The members of the Fantastic Four sprawled out on couches, nervously anticipating their next course of action.
Johnny hadn’t stirred from the window, gazing dully and mutely outside.
This lasted until well past dinner time until, with a sigh, Jo began to stir.
I could hear them jerk as I turned my head towards Reed, who had approached me again to look at my wrists. I wasn’t surprised to see him sitting there, though the look on his face amused me somewhat. His dark eyes sort of widened and his hand twitched where it rested on my wrist.
I decided Reed looked the worse for wear. I’d never really met him but once, and the fearless leader before me hardly resembled the vibrant superhero I’d seen so often on TV. His face was drawn, decorated with a few cuts and bruises and hollowed with a look that aged him somewhat. There was a fine stubble that stole across his jaw, and the silver shocks of hair on either side of his head seemed all the more prominent- badges of wisdom.
He looked exhausted, and I heard Ben shift his massive form closer to me, his heartbeat quickening as I continued to stare forlornly at his leader.
I wanted to tell them how I had spent these past hours going over it every possible way in my head. The strange sensations I could feel coursing through my body, the scorched hand prints on my wrists, the fear in their faces. But all that would come to me was a recurrent nightmarish memory. Like a dream, a dream in which something horrible had tried to attack them again and again. Something that Johnny had fought and eventually stopped.
And as I put the pieces together, I found I had come to only one conclusion, that I was the cause of that fear and that, somehow, I was a monster.
Ben seemed nearly ready to burst as the hands clenched at his sides stiffened. Sue seemed frozen in place and Johnny hadn’t stirred from his place by the window. Reed hadn’t let go of Jo’s arm, and now he looked back at her with as much calmness as he could muster. Jo’s eyes seemed too large for her head, black and depthless.
Even her eyelashes seemed to blend into them, creating an impression of two, dark voids in her face. She blinked, staring at him for just a moment before she spoke.
“I can’t remember what I did to you.” She said softly, her eyes lowered as she cleared her throat. “But I know I hurt you all somehow. I keep having these dreams...” She closed her eyes and grimaced. “...horrible dreams.” Her eyes watered as she continued. “Why then,” She said slowly, meeting Reed’s gaze. “... have you allowed me to live in this way?”
She sighed and she sank back into the couch, utterly exhausted and emotionally drained. “Why then, am I still alive?”
The question seemed to float without answer. No one would respond and I sensed Johnny’s heartbeat quicken as he whirled from his present position to face me. Reed cleared his throat, I could sense his emotions raging within. They seemed to radiate from underneath his skin- his anguish, his fear for his family.
But still, no one answered.
“This is bullshit.” Johnny growled, rushing to the couch he looked angry enough to pummel someone. His skin had started to smoke and his eyes had taken on a reddish hue. “Of course we can’t kill you.”
Jo’s eyes snapped to him, her countenance darkening as she sat up, her muscles visibly tense beneath the remnants of her tattered clothing. “Is it? I must have tried to kill you alone at least three separate times if the pieces of my memories are correct. That was since you found me, how long have I been here? A few days? A week?” She had pushed herself off the couch and away from Reed now with a startling swiftness as her bare feet skidded on the floor. “What about Susan?”
Jo averted her gaze to the Invisible Women who’s emotions seemed to be running rampant as various portions of her flickered in the visibility range. She stood rigidly in the kitchen, hardly daring to meet Jo’s gaze as the young woman pointed to her.
“What would you have to fear if I could be controlled?” She paused, as if remembering something. “I tried to hurt you too.” She paused, concentrating. Her eyes shifted from Sue’s face to her slender form and her eyes widened perceptively. “... the baby?” She asked, brokenly. She stared at her hands, almost translucent as her black veins appeared visibly beneath her skin. “I tried to hurt your baby...?” Jo turned away, cradling her head with her hand. She looked at Ben, clearly stricken as her steps faltered. “You couldn’t stop me- not with all of your strength, could you? Don’t you all get it? When is Reed going to run out of ideas?” She looked again at her hands, and she backed away from the light.
“I don’t know what I have become.” She whispered, retreating into one of the dark corners of the room. She breathed heavily, trying to control the onslaught of her tears. And for a moment, no one moved to follow her as she faded into the shadows.
Johnny was the first to react. Fuming as he glowered at her in the darkness, his face twisted into something of rage and, raising a hand, he hurled a ball of flame in her direction with a gutteral cry and braced himself as the sound of Jo’s tears stopped.
Two glowing eyes appeared and, within a few seconds, she had leapt at him- one arm reaching forward with long claws extending. What was strange though, was that only Jo’s face and poised arm seemed to have changed. And, prepared for her assault, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to his body.
I could feel the anger running through me and it felt more natural then even blood. Rage fueled me and I had found it effortless to attack him. It had been self-defense after all, someone had tried to hurt me.
That’s what half of me had said anyway.
The other half had been horrified that I would attack anyone, which was why I found myself torn and helpless when the person who had attacked me, turned out to be Johnny. And Johnny didn’t fight back. He pulled me close to him, and I felt a rush as I breathed in his aroma, and felt myself weaken as he pressed me close to his lithe, well-muscled body. I felt suddenly small, and I found he towered over me as the darkness faded away, and something in me snapped as my claws receded and I was powerless again.
I cried out in pain and crumbled against him- no longer possessing the strength to hold myself up.
Johnny fell to his knees as I fell against him, and he clutched me to him as I begin to tremble with horror. I had been all to aware of what I had tried to do. The emotion had been painfully apparent, and I had done nothing to stop it as it had demanded me to take action against him.
I had done nothing.
She was sobbing now, limp in his arms as he pulled away slightly from her and brought a hand to her face. Jo’s eyes, still black, did not seem to altogether comprehend what had happened. He positioned her hand in front of her and watched with her as the claws receded back into her hand.
“See.” He said breathlessly, looking deeply into her eyes and taking the hand into his own. “You can control this.”
He sought understanding from her black depths, seeking any sign that she understood what he was trying to tell her. “You can get better.”
Tears trailing down her cheeks, a weak smile tugged briefly at her lips and, for just a moment, her eyes flickered a beautiful blue.
Susan helped me to find some clothes.
Normally, I would have been smaller then her- I had been ill for a while and had maintained an unhealthy wait for some time now. But something, among many things, had changed- and I felt stronger now.
I seemed to have muscles in places I hadn’t even considered before. My own clothes, the remnants of some sort of hospital gown, hung from my shoulders in pieces. Scars, like long tattoos, streaked across my skin like black snakes- squirming their way about me. Half-faded and crooked, they seemed to slash across my pale flesh in all directions.
I shuddered as I questioned for the millionth time what could have possibly happened to me, but found no answers in the ruins of my memories. My clothes peeled off in strips, and Susan slipped a robe over my naked body and led me wordlessly to a shower.
She drew a bath and I slid into the steamy water with my bandaged hands upheld. There were some minor burns across my stomach, and I winced as they touched the warm water. I felt slightly dazed as she helped me to scrub the filth from my body. I nearly fell asleep as she gently kneaded my head, rubbing sweet smelling shampoos into my tangled mess of hair.
I felt nearly human again when I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off. Susan produced some sweats for me, but even the Invisible Woman couldn’t hide her grimace as her eyes swept over my scars.
My face flushed with shame and embarrassment and I found I couldn’t meet her gaze as she straightened and looked me full in the face. Newly clothed, I crossed my arms over my chest, fighting back tears as the awful ache haunted me again.
I hated this.
She sighed, “A good friend once told me that you should never be afraid to ask and accept help.”
I shook my head. “This is different.” I searched her face. “I tried to kill you, I tried to kill your baby.” I imagined the innocent life inside of her, a child not yet fully grown. A child who was a part of one someone who had once been like a sister to me. And I had tried to destroy that life, and her, I had tried to snuff them out like candles. I felt Susan slip her hand around my shoulders.
“You didn’t chose this Jo... and we’re going to fix it.”
During my absence, the boys had started to pick up the apartment. Ben was lifting the destroyed machinery and showing it to Reed, who told him what could and could not be repaired. Johnny was in the kitchen, filling up a bucket of water. There were cracks in the floor, and a series of black, scorch marks decorating both the tiles and the walls.
Susan had her arm around my shoulders as we walked downstairs and I noted how Ben looked up and seemed to mark my every move as I made my way down. Not that I blamed him, I wouldn’t have trusted me either in his position. I didn’t condemn his wariness, at this point I was like a bomb, at any moment I could explode and cause their ultimate destruction. Their patience amazed me, as did their aptitude to risk their lives to help me, someone they hardly knew at all.
In no way had I earned this sort of friendship- and yet they gave it to me freely all the same. Susan led me into the kitchen and we drank some hot coffee while Reed put together some sort of machine. I didn’t ask what it was for- but I knew it would have something to do with me.
No one spoke, Johnny was scrubbing the scorch marks on the floor and Reed murmured occasionally to Ben, who stood at his side. An hour or so later, the machine appeared complete and Reed beckoned me over.
I felt nervous as I stood before him and Ben. It was well into the morning now, and I could see how they both seemed to droop a little with fatigue. I didn’t really know either of them. Reed was kind and soft-spoke, while Ben- the fearless protector- was wary of me, and rarely said anything to me at all.
I stole a quick glance at Johnny, who stood a few feet off, pausing in his scrubbing to look back up at me. I cleared my throat and looked hesitantly at Reed. “So... what exactly do you want me to do?”
He pointed to the machine behind him. “This is going to track your internal functions to see what it is that is making these changes.”
I shifted and felt myself grow tense as he spoke, bile rose in my throat. “How long will this take?”
“As long as it needs to.” He replied.
I shook my head, “I can’t ask this of you.” I answered, feeling frantic as I thought of being hooked up to more machines. “You guys are supposed to be out there saving people, not trying to figure out what’s wrong with me.”
“Look kid... until we figure out what’s wrong with you, we are saving people... from you.” Ben answered gruffly.
“Don’t worry.” Susan added, taking my hand and squeezing it. “We’re here for you, it’s going to be ok.”
I wanted to believe her, I wanted to believe her so badly. This wasn’t an illness anymore- this was life and death. My life and their deaths. I didn’t want to voice my fears, and I only nodded my head to show my consent. But something else gnawed at the back of my mind, something that festered like an open wound.
What would happen if I couldn’t get better? What would happen if I had to live like this... forever?
A/N: Surprised to see an update? Me too. I copped out of doing homework one night and typed this up with all of you in mind. :) Happy Easter all! I’m alternating between working on a presentation for class today, stuffing my face with Starburst Jelly Beans (yum), and now posting this for my delicious, darling reviewers.
Ah, Angsty Jo will be around for a while I’m afraid. Just a warning against the tendency for me to sound redundant. But a scene involving Johnny chucking a fireball at her was just something I couldn’t resist. Next chapter will have a little fluff in it and will really begin Jo’s ability to control herself a bit more. (I know you are all waiting curiously for that) along with some more Jo/Johnny banter. A series of flashbacks are also on their way, so don’t think I’ve left Johnny and Jo’s past out in the rain.
I am going to respond to a number of your reviews. When they consist of more then a one-liner response, I normally take the time to reply. This week has been crazy with school and all, but replies are on their way!!! :)
Thanks again for the reviews all, till the next update!
TO BE CONTINUED...