For those who don't read my profile comments then you won't know, but I have re-written 'To Have and to Hold' simply because when I tried reading it ... I actually didn't like it too much. So, it's now rewritten and better edited.
Fantastic 5: Rise of the Silver Surfer | The Storm Ignites | A Tachyon Pulse
Still in the building they had met Victor again in - June was sat in one of the labs that had dozens of computers with the latest high technology.
"Oh, come on." June sighed, "This is ridiculous." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair, scratching her head slightly as all the calculations just stared at her. She couldn't seem to figure it out ... and neither could Reed. It was like the answer was on the top of her tongue, but it just wouldn't come to her like she wanted it to.
This day just kept getting worse and worse by the second.
"Junie, have you got anything new?" Reed's voice entered her ear canal the moment his footsteps did – he walked into the room with a pile of papers gathered in his arms. This seemed to be all he looks like these days. He wasn't looking any better than her, though – neither of them could seem to figure out how to disconnect this Surfer from its board.
And they were on a time limit, one they couldn't stray over at all.
"No, I haven't!" June didn't mean to, but her voice came out with a snap – she had been staring at the screens in front of her like they were aliens from another planet. It did take her a moment to realise that she had indeed sounded a little too harsh, so she sighed tiredly, rubbing her forehead like a headache was coming on. "Sorry." She apologized, looking towards him as he dumped himself into a desk chair near her – with his own set of computers.
Reed looked towards his sister with concern, seeing the stress of this finally getting to her. But it wasn't just that because even before the 'London-Eye Mission' she didn't seem to look right in a sense, she looked down – almost like she was trying to avoid something.
"June," He started when she turned her head away from him – he put down the papers onto the desk beside him before twisting around towards his little sister. Forgetting about the situation they've been put in – he wanted answers as to what's been going on with her ... but after seeing her mostly alone and without Johnny about, he had a good guess as to why. "What's wrong? And please don't brush me off this time, tell me." All he got was silence. "Please."
What did the guy do this time?
June never really did like talking about a personal matter with her brother – especially, when it came to relationships and boys.
"It's nothing," She mumbled, now staring at the screens in front of her, biting at the pen that had originally been in her hand – not wanting to talk about it right now of all times. They had more urgent and pressing matters. "Besides, we have the world to save." She tried to reason – usually, that would work on him, but this time, it didn't seem to.
"No," Reed didn't turn away nor did he forget about the subject just because the world is in danger. "Something's bothering you and I have a 'big brotherly feeling' that it has something to do with Johnny." He watched as her nose twitched – he knew he was right. "So, I'm right?"
June heaved out a sigh, looking exasperated, "Can't we just pretend for one moment that I don't have a 'love life' and figure out how the hell we're supposed to separate this Surfer from its board?" Looking over to him, almost begging him not to push again.
But, it didn't work.
"What did Johnny do?" He pushed, not letting the subject go.
Her brother was beginning to get very annoying and it wasn't helping her right now. She threw the pen onto the desk, groaning with irritation. There was going to be no way of getting out of this now – Reed had a resolved face against him, he wasn't going to let the subject go until he got his answer.
"Fine," She gave in, "Johnny he's ... he's keeping something from me." She still couldn't seem to figure out what it was, even after constantly thinking about it, "I trust him, I do but –" She sighed, dropping her head backwards a little so her vision reached up to the ceiling, "-I don't know, and with what the Surfer did to him..." She paused again, "We promised each other no more secrets and then I realise that he's been keeping something from me for a while now, it just hurts and I'm not sure what to think anymore."
All June wanted to do was run back into his arms, she wanted everything the way it was before the wedding – it was then that it started to go downhill between them. Why couldn't he just tell her what it was? Would it hurt her? Is that why he hasn't told her?
'Ah, Johnny, you're a complete idiot' Reed said to himself with a small shake of his head, cursing towards the younger man. He watched as June leaned her elbows against the desk, burying her head in her hands with her fingers gripping the loose hair on her head tightly. He knew Johnny still hadn't asked her – she must have caught something on, obviously not the context of what the secret was though.
"Maybe there's a good reason for him keeping it a secret?" Reed tried to tell her, but suddenly realized what he had done – he had basically just stated in a tone that would tell her he knew something. June's head perked up, turning to him with suspiciously narrowed eyes ... uh, oh.
"You know what he's hiding." June realized, noting his slightly widened eyes and the way he spoke his words just before. "Who else knows apart from me? Ben? Sue? ... Alisha?" All she got was an, even more, uncomfortable look at each name said ... but that was all she needed. Everyone knew what the secret was ... apart from her. "Are you kidding me?!" The immense hurt that was still there after Johnny not speaking to her in their room came back, but this time, it felt worse. Her voice actually cracked, suddenly feeling like everyone was against her, her eyes started to water just a little as she turned away again.
Reed looked down, feeling extremely guilty and he was now cursing at himself for making the situation even worse. Damn, he really was terrible at this whole 'brotherly' stuff after all.
There was an air of silence where neither of them spoke, only the tiny beeps coming from the machines around them could be heard.
"Is it bad?" June finally asked, not looking towards her brother and not able to get rid of the hurt that he's been keeping yet another big thing from her by the looks of it. Even he said he wouldn't keep anything big from her again, not after the NASA and Military mishap when they went into space two years ago. Reed looked up towards her, "Will I get hurt by this secret?" She wanted to know ... no ... she needed to know.
"No," Reed immediately stated as she finished her sentence, absolutely sure it wouldn't hurt her. If anything, the complete opposite will happen when Johnny finally asks the question he's been wanting to do for years. "He'll tell you ... and he wants to tell you but he's just looking for the right time to do so." He promised. "Trust me; when that day comes, you'll love it and you'll probably love him even more." It felt weird even saying that last part, especially to his younger sister, but knew it was what she needed to hear. She needed to be reassured after everything that's happened over the last couple of years.
June finally turned towards him for a moment, observing him – and all she got was the truth. She bit her lip, still feeling hurt, but ... she could wait. If her brother was so sure that this secret wasn't a bad one, that she wouldn't get hurt in the process like last time before Johnny left her all those years ago – then she could wait. She loved Johnny with all her heart and if this secret wasn't something to worry about, then she'll have to try and forget about it ... for now.
"Okay." She resigned quietly, looking back towards the desk. She needed a break, to stretch her legs and to think to herself for a moment. She reached for the empty water glass, "I'm gonna go get some more water." She told her brother, not looking back at him as she walked out of the room.
...
June let out a sigh as she used the tap to fill her glass up to the brim; her mind drifting off somewhere else when it should be completely focused on the matter at hand. But she couldn't seem to get focused again – all she can think about was what Johnny might be hiding from her. But just as she turned the tap off, the one voice she really didn't want to hear filled the kitchen area.
"Ah, Junie," Victor spoke, leaning against the doorway with his usual arrogant look, "I was just about to come find you – figured out our little problem yet?" His arms crossed over his chest.
"No." June admitted with a bite to her tone, she turned towards him, leaning against the counter but putting her guard up. She had to clench her fists tightly, angry that he was still using the nickname only certain people had the privilege of using, "Why ... have you?" She countered back.
Victor shook his head, "Nope." Putting emphasis on the 'P'. He tilted his head towards her, almost as if he were making an observation, "You definitely seem different from the last time we met, you know, back outside my Tower two years ago."
June bit her tongue, "And you don't seem to have changed, even after the fact that you should have stayed frozen for centuries ... minimum."
Victor just sent her a shrug, not giving up anything, "Maybe you were just weak – I mean, you did go through a lot that day ... didn't you?" He smirked, seeing a flash of something appear in her eyes ... but he knew what it was.
June just shook her head, but keeping her eyes on him, "I have no idea what you're talking about." She told him, actually speaking honestly. He seemed to know though, at least, a little of it.
Victor looked at her closely, squinting his eyes a little to get a read on her attitude. His smirk widened, "You really don't ... do you?" Finding it amusing. She stayed silent, the glass still held in her hand as she continued to stare at him. "You died, June – I even checked your pulse, you really were dead. Threw you into the ocean too for good measures – even I don't know how you came back to life. Shame though ... I would've had a good chance at winning the last fight if you didn't come back."
The glass in June's hand smashed – her powers had been freezing the water inside more and more, and then it got too much that the ice itself snapped and broke – the glass going with it. But she didn't look down at it, she was still staring at Victor – his words ringing around in her head.
The guy chuckled, still finding this scene amusing, "I'm sure that'll keep your head spinning for a while, huh?" And with that, he slipped out of the room, leaving June to herself once again.
June stared at the doorway where he had just been standing – her breathing becoming heavier as his words finally reached her. She had ... died?
All she could actually remember from that time were the small flashes where she tried to protect Ben back at the tower ... and waking up with a start, inside water – that was all. Victor was practically reveling in it; he could tell just how much that had affected her, and the uncontrollable scene she just made gave him the answer to that.
But she always had an ... inkling, when it came to what might have happened. Everyone remembered what she looked like after returning; how pale her skin was, how ... dead, she looked. She just ... didn't want to believe it ... she couldn't believe it.
The real question is though; if she died ... how the hell was she even still alive?
"June!" Reed's loud call snapped her out of the daze - his voice sounded joyful and successful. Like he had just figured something big out. He ran into the kitchen, a big smile on his face, "I figured it out – a pulse ... a Tachyon Pulse!" Shouting it out like a miracle had just come to him in the middle of a nap.
It was then that he took a sight of the broken glass on the floor and how pale his sister looked – the smile suddenly wiped off his face, not seeing her react the way he was expecting her too towards his news. "June, what is it?"
No, this wasn't something she wanted to talk about. She wanted to forget about it ... about everything that had just happened. "Nothing," She sent him a fake smile the best she could, but then caught up to what he just said. "A Tachyon Pulse?" Why didn't she think of that? "That's brilliant, we should get started on that right away." Ignoring the broken glass on the floor before heading back towards the lap, deflecting his answer away like she had done so many times before – even forgetting about her thirst as she left the room.
Reed blinked, not sure what had just happened. He wanted to ask and push her again, but unfortunately, they really didn't have the time at this point. Especially after figuring out the way to disconnect the Surfer from his board.
They had work to do.
...
June brought up a diagram of the prospective product they were gonna have to make in order for the plan to work – General Hager was watching it with interest, wondering what type of plan they had come up with. When it came to the making of the diagrams, June didn't stay in the same room as Victor for too long – she couldn't, so she kept to herself and whenever she had something knew, she'd ignore that the man was even in the room before speaking with her brother.
Sue was with them too, standing next to Reed – apparently she had been the one to spark the idea from his head, how she did that, he didn't really specify.
"So, how exactly does this thing work?" The General asked, looking at the device on the screen - it looked like a mini glass dome with four prods sticking out the sides of it.
"Well, when we activate the field." Reed began to explain, "It'll separate him from his board, essentially making him powerless." The screen showed a mini trail version of how it's supposed to work – the General seemed to like the idea of it.
"It's like a fish in a net." The General realized.
June just gave a shrug, that's one way to look at it, "Yeah, pretty much."
The man gestured the screen, "How long before this is operational?"
June quickly made the calculations in her head, "With both Reed and I working on it – one and a half, maybe two hours' tops." He didn't look too impressed, obviously thinking that's too long. She just gave him a shrug, not caring if he was impressed or not, "Sorry, but your best buddy isn't here to help so your just gonna have to deal with that timeline." She knew that sounded rude but she didn't care. Sue and Reed weren't too surprised this time by her tone – they were angry that Victor didn't seem to be helping at all either.
The General reluctantly accepted the timeline, "What do you need to make this happen?" He asked the siblings, forgetting about Sue. She wasn't the one building the machine – these two were.
Reed looked pleased with the answer, "Well, there are a couple of things we're gonna need..."
...
In one of the guest bedrooms in the building they were currently being held in during this crisis, June found herself sitting on top of the chest of drawers with her legs hanging over the side. The sound of a shower was on full blast and could be heard near her from the bathroom connected; she was in the room she was supposed to be sharing with Johnny – but they haven't exactly had any real sleep in the last couple of days.
The devices were being finished by Reed ... and Victor. At that point, she took the chance to leave the two alone while she went to do something that's been hanging over her ever since she left Johnny lying on the bed alone with his thoughts ... and the talk with Reed earlier. As she sat there in silence, waiting for Johnny to come out. Her mind obviously wandered back to everything both Victor and her brother had said.
It's like her mind couldn't even get a moment's rest.
She blinked out of her thoughts after hearing the water stop running and a squeaky noise that came with turning off the large round tap.
The door suddenly opened and out came Johnny wearing a white towel around his waist, another rubbing his hair dry – she couldn't help but ogle at his upper body for just a moment, he looked so damn good ... she really couldn't deny that.
Johnny had just thrown the towel onto the bed with a sigh when he heard a familiar voice from behind him, making him jump a little in surprise, "Hey." He twisted himself around, shocked to see June sitting there, waiting for him with a small smile on her lips ... but there was something different in her eyes.
The edge of Johnny's lips slipped up into a smile, "Hey," He replied back – immensely happy to see her. This was the first time they had really been in the same room alone since ... then. Suddenly he couldn't help it, he looked at her teasingly, pointing towards the bathroom, "Were you just ... waiting there to simply catch me in a towel." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, using his heating ability to make the water covering his body turn into steam. He successfully got a small giggle out of her, she tried to hide it though but he noticed it pretty well. He couldn't help but smile at that.
"Oh, sweetheart." June looked up at him with a mysterious yet playful tint in her eyes, "If I could touch you right now, I'd be ripping that towel off and having my wicked way with you." Having fun teasing him back, making it noticeable that she was checking his body out. Silently wishing that she could actually do that ... unfortunately, now isn't the time or place.
The smile on her face suddenly fell when she got herself back to the reason why she was here in the first place, "I'm sorry." She apologised, knowing that the separation was technically her fault on some level – even if Johnny was the one to keep a huge secret from her.
"What?" Johnny looked to her, honestly confused. What did she have to be sorry for? He's the one who's kept screwing up.
June looked down for a second, looking away, "I shouldn't have kept pushing into what you were hiding from me. It's okay – when you're ready to tell me ... I'll be ready to listen." She just wanted things between them to be okay again.
Johnny took a step forwards towards her, unable to understand how her attitude could have changed so quickly after everything that he's done to her, "What's brought this on?" Now standing just a few inches away from her.
June felt herself smile a little, just reassuring herself, "Reed's assuring me that whatever your hiding isn't going to hurt me in the end. It's ... It's all I really needed to know." She said honestly. "But just ..." She started again, "...just promise you'll tell me. And please don't wait too long-" She chuckled a little, "-you know how impatient I can get."
Johnny felt his lips quirk into a smile, knowing exactly how impatient she could get – a warm feeling drifted below his hips and towards a certain place, a very familiar one, "I promise." He leaned closer towards her, his hands now placed either side of her body on the drawer set.
They started leaning in towards each other, completely forgetting about the fact that their powers could switch at just one touch and then ... the towel around Johnny's waist fell to the floor and he was now standing, pointed towards her in all his glory.
June bit her lip with an eyebrow raised towards him, a blush creeping on her cheeks when she saw what happened, a small chuckle leaving her pursed lips when she tried hard not to laugh. Johnny stood there looking at her, still leant towards her but watched her reaction with his own amusement.
"My towel's gone." He stated the obvious as he kept his gaze on his girlfriend, nodding to himself at how inconvenient it had to happen.
"Yes," She nodded back, "Yes, it is." Her eyes glanced downwards, the playful glint appeared back in her eyes as they flickered back down below, "Nice to know I still have a ... hard ... effect on you." She teased.
Making sure not to touch him, she slipped between his arms and the drawers – moving towards the door with a smirk on her lips. She turned to him, "Oh, and we'll be heading off to get the Surfer in about, hmm ... ten minutes or so. It might be best that you quickly have another shower ... a cold one this time." She could barely keep in her laugh the moment she left the room, especially when he yelled out. "You little minx!"
"Oh, I know, Storm!" She shouted back with the smirk still on her lips, starting to walk away from the door towards the lab again, "I know!" Her heart started beating profusely, a silly smile on her face. If she couldn't touch him ... she could get her rocks off by teasing him instead.
That sounded like a good plan.
Note: hahaha! I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist the last part and I laughed my ass off when I imagined the scene in my head. Lol.
...I should probably go to sleep now considering it 4am.
Let me know what you thought!