Chapter 1

Reed smiled for the cameras that flashed before him, and hugged Susan around her waist. But deep down he realized that it didn't feel right. He smiled a little wider; ignoring the feeling.

"Mr. Fantastic, give her a kiss!" One of the reporters yelled out.

Susan smiled up at him; her blue eyes sparkling. `What the hell? It's just another kiss.' Reed thought, and leaning down a little met her lips in a kiss. The audience of photographers and reporters let out a whoop. Reed looked down at Sue, and watched her smile up at him. She was so beautiful. So perfect. So everything that he ever wanted … So why wasn't he perfectly happy? For the moment things were stable. Reed knew that he had enough money to pay the rent and for his experiments. He had fame, popularity. He had the girl that he always wanted.

So what was holding him back? He had been engaged to Susan for a little over a year now. Together with her, Johnny, and Ben; he had helped save New York City from already countless problems. It felt good to be needed by so many. And to be wanted by one, Sue. But at the same time it didn't feel right. There was something missing.

Together with Sue he turned and walked into the Baxter Building. Still smiling at nothing he got in the elevator and went up.

"Are you alright?"

He looked at Sue; her soft face wrought with concern. "I'm fine. Why?"

"I don't know. You just seem more distant than usual lately."

He pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm alright. My mind is just elsewhere."

Susan laughed. "When isn't it elsewhere genius?" They came closer together, almost in a kiss. But the elevator dinged and stopped on their floor. "Come on." She said still smiling and holding his hand brought him onto the floor. Reed let himself be pulled along, into the center room. Sue turned, putting her arms around her neck as Reed wrapped his arms around her waist again. "Now where were we?"

Reed smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Sue turned invisible, and giggled as Reed's lips touched her skin.

"That's my nose genius." He laughed a little and smiled back as she changed back into her normal self. They heard a large sigh from the upper level of the room, and both their heads turned at the same time to see Ben sitting up there, looking out the window. "We should see what's wrong."

Reed cleared his throat, unconsciously flushing a little. "Yeah." He turned to a desk and started looking through the papers on it. Sue smiled to herself and shook her head as she climbed the stairs, taking Reed's actions as her cue to go see what was up on her own. She sat not far from him.

"Hi Ben."

"Hey Suzie."

"Is there something the matter?"

"Nah. It's just that Alicia and I are on the rocks. She says that I'm too distant lately and that she needs time to think."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sue said, and attempted to hug Ben. It made him crack a rocky smile.

"Yeah."

"It'll turn out alright."

"Yah think?"

"Yes, I do. She's probably just going through something right now and doesn't want you to know about it. She'll call in a while."

"Yeah." Ben smiled at her again. "Thanks Suzie. Saying that's making me feel better. You're probably right."

"Yeah." She rubbed one of his shoulders. "You want anything?"

"Nah. I'm just gonna go to bed."

"Okay."

"Thanks for listenin."

"It's no problem. I will any time you want me to."

Ben smiled at her, and got up. "Night."

"Good night." She said softly as Ben went down, and into his room. She shook her head and looked from him to Reed. "So you've been distantly lately too, huh?" She said softly to herself looking back out the window. "Do I have to do everything myself?"

Chapter 2

Reed sat behind his computer; trying to focus on his work; but he kept sneaking glances at Ben as he ate breakfast. For some reason that he could not understand, lately the little things that Ben did seemed to fascinate Reed. Watching Ben was like watching a scientific experiment as it evolved. Fascinating to him.

Reed stretched his neck up, and peered over his large computer screen. There was Ben, still reading a newspaper and eating a bowl of fruit. Reed smiled. His mind got a little fuzzy, the ideas of his work drifting away from him as he watched his rocky friend. Then some one else came into the picture. Sue walked into the room and smiling, started talking to Ben. Reed let his head go back behind the computer screen where it belonged. He looked at the screen, blinking for a moment and remembering where he was.

`What was I thinking? I'm looking at Ben the way that Sue used to look at me … It doesn't fit. Does it?' These thoughts sporadically came through Reed's head as he worked; like some little equation that he knew had an easy answer, but he still couldn't figure out what was.

Sue smiled at Ben as she greeted him, and after pouring herself some juice sat across the kitchen table from him.

"Ben, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Suzie. What's up?"

"I believe that what Alicia said about how you've been lately is right. But you're not the …"

"Sue I …" Ben started to stand; but an invisible hand stopped him.

"Ben, stop and hear me out." Ben sat down again, half glaring at Sue, but also curious. "Lately Reed's also been … Well, distant is the best way to put it." She rushed through the last part; suddenly a little nervous. "Ben, I think the reason why Reed isn't really into me lately is because he's into you. And I think you know what's going on in your mind."

"No I don't" Ben rumbled, and looked away.

"Ben, yes you do. It's what's been distracting you when you're with Alicia …"

"No it's not. It's too weird."

"Ben." Sue kept watching him, watching his slight movements. Ben was nervous, on his guard more than he needed to be. "No it's not."

The great man rock exhaled deeply and looked back at her. Ben spoke slowly, deliberately. "Yeah it is. How would you feel if you'd always loved your best friend? If you had to watch him fall in love with a great girl, and support him when he did. Push him back into a relationship with you. And on top of it all, ignore everything that I felt for Reed. Get married, just to break up. Go into space; and end up …" He nodded and looked at the table again. "Yeah."

"Okay. So it's a little weird. But only because you've denied your true feelings for too long."

"I didn't want you to end up hurt Sue. Look, I've liked Reed for as long as I could remember, but I just didn't want to hurt you." Sue was silent. "And now you're mad."

Ben covered his eyes with his rocky hands, his secret now out he felt vulnerable. Sue smiled at him, hiding like a little boy.

"It's okay Ben. I'm not mad about it." Ben lowered his hands to his chin, and looked at Sue again; his eyes a little more watery than usual. "I'm not mad" Sue repeated and smiled a little at him. "I love Reed enough to know want him to be happy. And I think that he'd be happier with you."

"I donno Suzie. Reed's always seemed so happy when he's with you. Besides, he'll just think this is weird. It is weird."

"It's not weird Ben. Choosing who you're in love with is part of life."

"I didn't say anything about love."

"No, but I did. And it's because I know that you do. Why else would you have left everything and gone into space with Reed? Why else would you have stayed with him through all of the hard times? You know that you didn't have you, and yet you have. You protect him, and care about him."

"I help protect you and half of New York too."

Sue seemed to fade from vision a little. "That's not the same, and you know it." Her voice held the command of a parent that Ben needed to stir him up and into action.

"Alright, alright! I get what you're sayin. But how do I know that Reed feels the same way? I don't want to say something to him, just to find out that he's not into the idea. How do I know?"

Sue became fully visible again, and smiled at Ben. "Just leave finding out what's going on in Reed's mind to me."

Chapter 3

Reed paged through the large papers that he had littering one of his desks, looking for, but not finding the papers for his new project. Flipping and flipping through, but not finding what he wanted. Reed stopped, his face showing his puzzlement.

"Is something wrong Reed?" Sue asked, looking up from her work on the computer.

"Uh, no. Yes. Umm." He flipped trough several other papers.

"Reed." He stopped and looked in her eyes. "Reed. What are you looking for?"

"The paper with the notes on the solar powered propulsion pack that I've been …" As he talked and looked around helplessly, Sue had gotten up, and handed him the sought after paper, from it's resting place on top of a rack of papers. "Yeah." He smiled his now usual, vague smile at her, and turned back to his work.

Sue sighed. "Reed."

"Yeah Sue?" He kept looking through his papers, doing more calculations.

"Reed, look at me." Pausing, he looked up. Unlike usual when this request was made, Sue was still visible. "Reed, what's really wrong? You're beyond distant lately, and I need to know why."

Reed half smiled at her, and turned back to his work. "You're just projecting Ben's problems onto me Sue. There's nothing wrong with me lately."

"Yes there is. Reed. Reed, look at me." He looked back at her. "Reed I love you. And I know that there is something more than science running through your head lately. Reed, just tell me."

"You wouldn't understand Sue."

"Well I can't even try to unless you tell me."

Reed looked at his papers, but didn't see any of the information. He only saw the one thing that kept sticking on his mind; his great rocky friend.

"Reed."

"I can't tell you Sue."

"Why not?"

Reed stood and yelled out at the same time "Because I don't want to hurt you." It shocked Reed more than Sue to hear that. "Sue I'm sorry. Sue I …"

"Reed" she smiled at him "it's okay. Just tell me the truth." Reed shook his head. "Reed, I already know it, so just tell me."

His face seemed to melt as he looked at his papers. Sue came and stood next to him. "Reed, you aren't in love with me anymore, are you?"

"No."

"But you still love me as a friend, and like you would a sister, so you didn't want to hurt me."

"Yeah. Are you mad?"

Sue smiled and shook her head. "No. Reed, I'm not mad." She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm relieved. I love you enough to just want you to be happy; whether you're with me or not."

Reed hugged her back. "Sue. Thank you."

Sue smiled, and when they let go of each other, she went back to work. `So; Reed feels the same way as Ben does; but unlike Ben; Reed won't admit it. Hmmm, I think I'm going to have to get Ben to move first.'