Swelling with love chapter Three: Discoveries.

 

Created Saturday, February 23, 2008
Last Updated Wednesday, July 09, 2008


 

  
In which Reed Richards is a genuine superhero and Susan Storm finds answers to questions she never even asked.

AN: Hello to anyone reading this.  I'd deeply appreciate your comments and criticism since it's not like I'm writing this thing just for myself.  Well okay I wouldn't be writing it if I didn't find enjoyable to read/write but if I was only interested in how I felt about it I wouldn't bother posting it.  Once again send your responses to iwfan53@yahoo.com

The Puppet Master smiled as he culched the small gray statue tightly, things were going well, in fact better then he had ever expected!  Not only did he have Dragonfly firmly under his control, but now he had taken care of another member of the Fantastic Four as well!  It had taken him a few moments to figure out exactly how to deal with his uninvited guest, but a solution had presented itself to him quite quickly. 

Any sort of normal restraint would have proved utterly pointless when it came to trying to contain Ultra Woman's elastic body, but that problem was no sooner fully examined then resolved.  At this very moment, she currently sat across the hall from him, bound to a stout chair by her own limbs. 

Not to mention her arrival had presented him with a most intriguing opportunity.  His blind and naively trusting step daughter dressed as Dragonfly's companion and wearing an appropriate wig and disguise would not pass as Ultra Woman for long, but he was certain it would be long enough for his puppet to gain the upperhand over his teamates. 

Before the day was out he would have the entire Fantastic Four would be his!  Then, then it would be only a matter of time until the rest of the world was his as well.  He roused himself from his revelry as his puppet felt the door to the inner sanctum of his team open before him. 

That insolent blond haired boy was there, but at the moment he had not used his abilities to turn his skin to meal, how wonderful.  He had his puppet turn slightly and extend his wings fully.  Those same wings which were capable of keeping his body airborne packed more hen enough punch to subdue a human with one good blow. 

His step daughter was starting to fret in surprise, but it hardly mattered, he directed his puppet onwards.  The boy was of no real concern, he already had a puppet of him should he need it.  Before anything else he had to find and deal with Mr. Fantastic...


-----


Reed Richards looked up from his work and smiled.  He'd manage to integrate the concussion beam technology that Victor had used to subdue Ben when the team had been fighting to try and free Reed into the armor's gauntlets.  He was actually rather proud of the way that he'd designed it so that he could strength of the beam based around where he pressed his tongue against the armor's metal facemask. 

Yes it was a little silly, but no one would see what exactly he was doing, and if you were going to turn something that looked like more or less medieval knight's armor into a machine that would let defeat a battalion of tanks in open combat, you had to cut corners somewhere, better they be where dignity was concerned than safety. 

A loud wrapping sound made him look up and turn his attention to the necessary monitor upon which he saw Ben knocking on the door to his lab.  Odd, he'd been expecting Susan to return first, but then maybe not letting Ben see that she was following him meant that she made sure to trail behind him even when he was heading back to the Baxter Building. 

"Okay I'll have it open in a minute."  He walked over and pulled the necessary lever, psychic commands were still needed as he way to open the door up from the outside, but now at least he didn't have to give himself a brain cramp every time someone wanted to join him in his lab.  The sound of moving machinery filled the room as the door opened and a moment later Ben walked in.  "So what did you want to see me about?" 

The only answer that Reed got was that Ben wings suddenly started flapping wildly as and he rose into air flying straight at him.  He easily knocked Reed out of his chair and onto the floor, before wrapping his hands tightly around his best friend's neck in the process.  For a few moments Reed tried to hold him off physically, but while his new body was more suited to the task then his old one, while the only part of his armor he had on was the facemask he had no chance of overpowering Ben Grimm in unarmed combat

Rather then dwelling on the irony that just a few moments ago he had been working on a device that now lay not ten feet away from him that would have done a perfect job of disabling without harming his suddenly murderous friend, Reed focused on what he could actually make use of, his mind. 

Even as it was getting hard to breath, he reached out into Ben's mind, and found something incredibly odd going on inside.  His mind was there, but it was as if there was some gray thing surrounding it, cutting it off from his body.  Reed hurled his mental force at that gray thing trying to pierce it, but though it left a large dent it didn't break the barrier. 

The grey thing started to shift about to cover over the dent, and Reed knew that if he failed with his next try he'd never be able to muster the concentration for a third.  He carefully aimed and let fly with a mental arrow straight into Ben's mind. 

It slammed through the gray barrier and the mind it had been restricting streamed out and back into control of the body, and with merciful speed the grip on his wind pipe loosened.  "Reed?  What the hell was I doing?"  Reed coughed, his throat and voice were still rather raw as he responded.  "I'd be rather interested in finding that out myself."

-----

The small figure fell from the Puppet Master's grip and as it landed one of its wings snapped off.  Of course since the connection between the puppet and the man it represented was broken just before it happened, so all this meant was that he would need to repair the figure before could be used again.  Though that was hardly a problem compared to how he'd come so close to his goal, and to have victory snatched away from him. 

But it didn't matter, Mr. Fantastic might have been able to break his control this time, but that was only because he had been right next to the puppet while the he himself had been far away.  Let the two of them be side by side battling for control of the same mind, and he was extremely sure who would prove the victor then!

Granted now that his foes were aware of him they would no doubt soon be coming to pay him a visit, hah let them!  He went to the necessary drawer and pulled another puppet that would dance quite readily at his commands.

----


When Susan awoke she found herself seated on a fancy wooden chair in some room that she was unfamiliar with.  She tried to stand up and get out of the chair, but couldn't.  Stretching her neck out she soon saw what was the problem, her arms and legs had been wrapped around the legs of the chair in tight knots that seemed to be as numerous as they were complicated.

She sighed and sank a little further into her seat if such things were possible.  Of course almost as quickly as despair filled her, it with was replaced with hope as she rotated her neck a full 360 degrees and saw that no one else was in the room with her.  "Heh. I guess my captor didn't get the memo about how Ultra Woman's entire body is elastic.  To think Reed said using my powers for all that kinky bondage sex was nothing but fun for he sake of fun!" 

Susan elongated her neck and wrapped it around he right arm of the chair, then she did it again, and again, and again, and again, in the process trying to make her neck thinner so that she could loop it around as many times as possible.  Eventually, she was satisfied with something in the neighbourhood of around a dozen times. 

She "heaved" her neck out, not really stretching it, just exerting a force on it, trying to make it to go a little farther.  That force travelled all along the length of her neck and was exerted on the chair's arm once for every single coil wrapped around it. 

She heard a delightful creaking sound from the arm and she repeated the process, this time getting more of a cracking sound.  "One more should do it..."  Indeed it did, as her neck wrenched the arm right off of the chair.  From there it was only a few seconds worth of work to extract the piece of wood from the tangled mess her right arm currently was. 

Once her right arm was only wrapped around itself, well Ultra Woman had figured out how to deal with that problem while she was only a month old so to speak.  Just like a Chinese finger trap, she starched her arm pressing inwards from both sides and one after another the knots fell away.  Now that she had a fully functioning arm under her control the rest of this escape was going to be child's play.  She extended that arm above her head, shaping it into the form of a giant mallet.  A mallet that she brought crashing down on herself, flattening her body in the process, and turning the chair into a pile of broken splinters. 

The difference of course was that while she could pull herself back together, the chair didn't seem to be in the mood for going another round with its elastic opponent.  "Houdini eat your heart out..." 

No sooner where the words out of her mouth then Susan realized that maybe she was getting just a little full of herself.  After all, it was only in works of fiction that you were called a great hero if you managed able to escape whatever death trap you got tossed into after the villain captured you. 

Not to mention being tied to a chair with her own body didn't exactly qualify as a death trap.  Susan had managed to get knocked out, captured, and escape her restraints, that meant  she was currently par for the course, if the course in question was being graded kindly. 

Either way, she had to get out of here and warn Reed and Johnny about what she'd heard, and picking up a new unstable molecule uniform probably would be a good idea as well.  Luckily, a way to escape was right there, not sure of what other traps her captor might have hidden about his house, she just walked over, raised a nearby window the necessary crack and slithered her upper body out it, heading for the roof. 

As she was stretching her body up the side of the building Susan decided she'd probably want to avoid moving from roof to roof on her way back to the Baxter Building.  It would take longer, but it was also a bit more discrete, and discrete was something she very much wanted to be at the moment.  For reasons that she did not at all want to consider her captor had not only left her tied but dressed in only he bra and panties as well.  Photos of a half (3/4ths if you were going by amount of skin covered against not covered) naked Susan Storm were doubtlessly publicity that the Fantastic Four could do without.

As she reached the roof she drew some solace form the fact that as underwear went, at least she was pretty well covered.  Her unstable molecule bra kept "the girls" firmly in check and her panties completely covered her ass.  There were plenty of women who walked around in swimsuits that were more revealing than what she currently had on after all.

But those thoughts brought her little comfort, especially after she realized that her legs and lower body should have caught up with her by now, but for some reason they were still inside.  Then she felt herself stretching, but it was the wrong way.  Instead of her legs joining her up on the rooftop her upper body was being pulled back down towards her legs, as if she was a fish caught on some invisible line. 

No matter what she told her body to do, it didn't matter in the slightest as she was inexorably yanked backwards right through the window she had left through.  "Trying to escape my dear?"  She turned around, but for some reason her body reacted much more slowly then she wanted it to.  The bald man who was obviously behind whatever particular evil villainy was going on her smiled up at her.  In his right hand he held a small clay doll that except for lacking color was a perfect scale model of Susan. 

"Behold why they will all soon call me the Puppet Maser!  Now then come along, I'll need your help to be properly ready when your friends arrive..."  As he walked away Susan found herself following him even though every fiber of her being wanted to put as much distance between the two of them as possible.


----


"I'm not sure how I feel about leaving that poor blind girl alone, but you're right Susy comes first Reed."  The three were currently rocketing across the city's skyline in Reed's newest creation.  After defences of Doom's castle had destroyed their Pogo Plane he'd determined to make the Fantasticar didn't come to a similar end. 

That was why he'd built some of Doom's own forcefield technology into the thing among other improvements.  "Ben I think being in the grip of a mind controlling maniac ranks way higher on the list of bad situations for a girl to in then simply being blind and left alone in the Baxter Building with a bed to lie down on.  So are you sure you know where this guy is?  I mean I find it sort of hard to trust anything you 'saw' while you weren't in control of your own body." 

While Reed didn't agree with the crass tone in his voice, he fully agreed with Johnny's logic.  "You don't have to worry about us going on a wild goose chase, I've got a perfect mental lock on where Susan is.  Not to mention we should be reaching the spot right about now."  He worked the controls carefully (if he hadn't built the Fantasticar to exactly his own specifications he doubted he'd be able to handle such a complex machine after only a month of having a body back again) and it slowed down starting its descent. 

Wheels extended and the thing lowered down in the middle of a currently unoccupied two lane street.  "Umm Reed, you're aware that just because we're superheroes doesn't mean we're immune to parking tickets right?"  Reed crawled out of his see and dropped to the ground.  "Don't worry Ben, my armor can allow me limited remote control of the Fantasticar, once you two are out of it I can have it use its VTOL capacities to lift of and just hover until we need it again." 

Ben hopped out of the machine and using his wings to slow his descent, and Johnny transformed to his Mandriod form before exiting the Fantasticar.  Reed made the necessary motions to send the Fantasticar skyward, before he tried the knob on the door on the door that Ben had pointed out.  It was locked.

Just like back when he had been witnessing Victor use this armor (and this body) to defeat his teamates the prospect of the woman he cared about suffering drove Reed Richards to actions he wouldn't have normally even considered committing.  "CRUNCH!"  Doom's armor increased the wearer's strength considerably, there wasn't any other way he could have gone toe to toe with Johnny. 

Though it was still a bit surprising for Reed to discover he'd just gone and punched straight through a stout wooden door.  "No fair, I wanted to do that!"  Acting more on instinct then anything else, Reed reached over and unlocked the door and opened it from the inside before pulling his arm out of the hole he had made in it.  Looking ahead Reed saw another door waiting for him a few feet away. 

Just out and out breaking into someone's house was a new experience for a him, normally he'd suggest having Susan stretch under the door and unlock them that way to limit property damage, but that was the catch-22 since it'd mean hey needed Susan to find Susan.  Instead he decided in for a penny in for a pound.  "If you want to lead the way Johnny be my guest..." 

With cry of mighty exultation Johnny started running up the stairs, dashed past Reed and slammed into the next door like a freight train reducing it to splinters.  Reed and Ben followed close behind, and from the large room Johnny had smashed his way into the three made their way upstairs and through another door into some new room with no obvious function. 

What mattered was that Susan was sitting apparently unconscious in only her bra and panties with ducktape over her mouth, apparently held in place by simple piece of rope.  Johnny showing surprising thoughtfulness stood back and let Reed approach her first as he began to gingerly pull the ducktape off, with any luck Susan's powers would do something to reduce the pain. 

Besides it also apparently had the side effect he'd hopped because he blue eyes began to slowly open.  "Susan are you all right?"  "Reed it's a trap!"  Before she could say anything else her body easily slid free of its restraints, then began to flow around them.  First a single loop, then another, she just kept stretching her body in ever tightening concentric circles until the three surprised superheroes found themselves all but completely engulfed by her elastic body. 

Susan for her part cast he eyes downward, and as she blinked, a pair of tears fell from them.  "And I'm not just the bait..."  A door opened and a short bald man holding a perfect scale clay representation of what Susan normally looked like walked in.  "I could have easily put less threatening words in her mouth, but I think it is so very amusing to watch her completely aware of what she's doing, still able to think and talk, and yet completely unable to stop herself. 

Now I the Puppet Master not only have Ultra Woman completely under my control, but the rest of the Fantastic Four trapped like flies in honey!"  It was true, Ben Johnny and Reed all struggled, but Susan's body was wrapped so tightly around them that even Johnny couldn't get enough momentum to make proper use of his strength. 

"Reed since you're suppose to be the smart one, it'd be really nice if you could think up a way out of this right about now."  Reed tired to free Susan from the Puppet Master's control using the same technique that had worked on Ben, but he quickly discovered it was hopeless. 

This time around the gray wasn't soft and yielding beneath his attacks like clay, it was hard as concrete and even though Susan's hold on him wasn't tight enough to interfere with his breathing and mental abilities, he still could barely even scratch the stuff.  Even worse the Puppet Master had evidently sensed his mental probes. 

"Hah, was that the best you could truly manage Mr. Fantastic?  It almost makes me wonder I ever even considered you a threat."  Reed sighed, there was only one thing to do now, play for time and hope that some opportunity presented itself.  "Why are you doing this to us?"  The Puppet Master laughed maniacally.  "Why?  Because I can. 

Because being able to play with you four as my own personal puppets will be just the edge I need in order to force the entire world to bow to my unshakeable will!  I only need one more thing to complete my plan, a good look at your face.  Something I'll be taking for myself right now."  He slowly began to crawl over Susan's body, and wrapped his hands around Reed's mask.  Behind that mask Reed smiled even as the Puppet Master yanked at the edges of his metal facemask, this very much have the makings of an opportunity.

Time passed, the Puppet Master huffed and puffed in irritation.  He had pulled with both of his hands (placing the replica of Susan in a pocket of his white outfit) from every single direction he could think of, each had been as fruitless an effort as the last.  For a simple reason to, the mechanism to release the facemask was in Reed's gauntlets, so he could have kept pulling on the mask itself till his arms wrenched themselves free from their sockets without hope of success.  For the first time Reed was extremely glad that Victor's ego had been had been so large and easily offended.  "Accursed thing!  No matter, you only delay the inevitable, I'll fry it off with a welding torch if I have to!"

The Puppet Master climbed off Susan's body and stood with his head more or less level with Reed's arm, just where Mr. Fantastic wanted him to be.  "It wouldn't work even, then and you won't get the chance.  I'm about to make you pay for what you did to Ben and Susan."  The Puppet Master just laughed at him.  "Oh really?  Very well then, I have already soundly defeated you in a battle of the minds, do you're worst"

Just had Reed had hoped (and it shamed him slightly to say, prayed) his foes physical exhaustion had weakened his mental grip on Susan slightly.  It wasn't much, but it was enough for Reed to pass her a psychic message, and she had obey it.  She had shifted her body ever so slightly, just enough to let Reed's right hand from going to be pointed vertically down to being horizontal.  Then pressed his tongue to the side of his mask, and gave his armor's newest addition its first field test.

Of course Susan's body easily stretched as the concussive force struck it.  In fact, it stretched outward and slammed into the Puppet Master's face with all the power of one of her elastic slaps.  The Puppet Master reeled backward the replica of Susan falling from its perch, and then the one factor that Reed had never planned on took effect, the window.

He stumbled, and fell backwards through it in a shower of glass.  For a few moments the four could do nothing but wait there anticlimactically, Susan still tightly binding them.  And then, her body relaxed.  The three were able to wriggle their way free, as she quickly returned to her normal appearance.

Johnny did not shift out of his metal form, as he looked staired transfixed at the broken window.  "Reed, did you just sort of... I mean is he...?  I know you didn't mean to, and he was trying to take over the world and all, but after what happened to Victor, you're starting to develop a habit of shooting rabid dogs aren't you?"  Been flapped over to the broken window and looked out through it as well.  "Normally I'd agree with you 100% sparkplug, except that if his body landed somewhere in that alley I sure as hell don't see it."

Susan stretched her own neck over, indeed the obvious signs of a broken and bleeding body was completely and utterly absent.  Reed as well scanned the alley with telescopic, infrared, and heat sensitive vision, all of them coming up with nothing out of the ordinary.  Susan pulled her neck back in through the window, practically standing on tip toe next to her husband.  "Well Reed, what do you think happened?"

Reed pondered the question for almost a full twenty seconds, an unreasonably long time before responding.  "Well common sense would suggest that we've doubtlessly seen the last of him, but common sense hasn't proved very effective at predicting events in our lives ever since we gained our powers.  After all, there was at least a full minute between when he fell and when his control of Susan waned.

It's entirely possible that he had some kind of, something, that let him survive the landing and then he got out of the alley before we were able to look for him.  Luckily separated by such distance from the puppets that evidently act as a focus for his powers, his control waned.  Unfortunately its also possible he kept a backup supply of that special clay on his person, a lump or two would be all he needs to take control of someone..."

Johnny buried his face in his metal hands.  "So it's possible that we didn't do a dam  thing to stop him from moving forwards with one diabolical plan or another?  Is it too late to go back to the possibility that Reed just accidentally offed him?  I mean he was a supervillian who had just given us an entire monologue about he planned to conquer the world.  Any jury in the city would agree it was justifiable self defence."

Reed shook his head turning his attention to the wooden cabinets in the room.  "First off Johnny weather or not it would be seen as legal hardly determines weather or not its right.  As for not having done anything to hamper his efforts if he's still alive, first off we can neutralize his largest stockpile of special clay right here and also get rid of whatever puppets he's already crafted.  Also I can study the exact nature of the clay, and we should be able to figure out exactly where it comes from and see that the authorities take actions to keep him from getting his hands on any more of it.

We've already proven that he needs to be close to gain control of any of us because of my own psychic powers so its unlikely he'll be able to strike back at us any time soon.  Well get the regular authorities looking for him, and hopefully he'll have no choice but to keep his head down.  At the very least I think we've seen the last of the Puppet Master for a while, and he lost the greatest advantage that he had over us this time around, surprise.  Because we know there's at least a possibility he's still out there and what powers he possesses."  Ben's wings fluttered slightly as he shook his head.  "That poor girl Alica, the Puppet Master might have been jackass bent on world domination, but he was also all she had."

As Reed opened up the cabinet and began to pull replicas well dressed people out of it (Susan reconized one of them as the mayor) he turned around, and one would guess that he was smiling behind the mask.  "Well, if you're that worried about her Ben, considering the Baxter Building currently has more floors then people living in it, we could probably offer her a place to stay for a while."

Johnny finally did revert to flesh, and swooned melodramatically.  "Aww isn't that just sweet, Benjy's got a crush."  Ben growled and raised a shaking fist.  "The girl can't see, why don't you try wearing a blindfold for a week and find out how easy it is to keep from slamming your metal head on the floor and walls till you finally break through them?  Before you get started making any 'blind date' jokes, don't."  Susan's brother made the appropriate "zipping the lips closed" gesture.


----


"And so that's how it happened, Alica isn't it?"  The orange haired girl nodded and Ben continued.  "Anyway, since we realize what a problem this might be for you, I've convinced the others to let you stay here if you wanted to."  Alica reached out fumbled around for a few moments and then found his right hand.  "Thank you very much for the offer Mr. Grimm, but I'm afraid I think it would be best if I turned it down." 

Ben blushed, rather grateful that Alica couldn't see it.  "If you're going to let me call you by Alica then I'm gonna have to ask that you call me Ben, okay?  And are you sure that you wouldn't be better off hanging around here?"  Alica shook her head firmly.  "Very well then Ben, it's just even though I can' see, I've got a very good memory. 

I know my way around my step father's place so well that I don't even need a cane any more.  But if I moved in here then I'd have to start memorizing my home all over again.  Not to mention the last thing a group of superheroes like you four need is someone like me hopelessly underfoot."  Ben sighed and gave Alica's hand a firm shake before he slowly let go of it.  "All right then, but whatever happens I'll, the entire Fantastic Four will be only too glad to help out. 

So if you find that without your step father hanging around you need a little help making ends meet don't be afraid to give us a call."  Alica shook her head once again.  "I think I'll be fine as long as I've got my work and my agent."  "Your work?"  Ben wasn't sure why he had instantly assumed that being blind must have meant this girl basically just sat around all day reading books in brail, but then sight had been a pretty darn important ability in all the occupations he'd ever considered.  "I'm a sculptress. 

Most of my real money earning work is doing reproductions of various people.  Because of my memory I don't need a subject to pose for me while I work I just need to run my hands all along their body once.  There are plenty of important people who want a sculpture of themselves of one size or another but don't feel like sanding around for hours on end to get it done so they come to me.  You've never heard of Alica Master's the blind sculptress?" 

Ben shook his head wondering for a moment why exactly he was bothering with vissual body language that Alica wouldn't get, but old habits were hard to break.  "Can't say I have, but then I never was exactly interested in art.  Still good to know you'll land on your feet."  Alica took a step closer, though her hands still hung at her sides.  "Well I'd be glad to do a sculpture or two of you and your friends, as a way of repaying your kindness if nothing else." 

"We're superheroes, kindness sorta goes with the job description."  Then to Ben's surprise she reached out and began to run a hand along one of his wings.  "Well, I'd like to try anyway.  The intricate patterns on your wings, they'd be a challenge to capture, but quite beautiful if done correctly." 

As she worked her way down his wings there two main trains of thought running in opposite directions in Ben's mind.  The first one was that since she couldn't see, touch was the only way that she could find out what her subjects looked like, but on the other hand, he couldn't quite shake the possibility that maybe Alica was trying to send hints his way that you couldn't miss even if you were blind. 

Whichever was true, he let her run her hands fully along both his wings, and just his wings before he spoke up.  "So do you think you'd be able to make it back to your place by yourself all right?"  Alica pulled her hands away form him and sighed.  "Probably, but since I was more or less just following you on the way here my memory of the path we took might not be quite as good as it could be.  If you're offering to escort me back home I wouldn't say no." 

For another few moments Ben considered offering to fly her back home since it'd be quicker, but he decided against it.  The poor girl had obviously been through enough for one day, she could go without the sensation of being weightless and utterly helpless a hundred or so feet up in the air.  "Well then I'd be glad to do just that."  Even as he took Alica's hand so that he could lead the way he couldn't help but ask himself one question.  Being blind, would she find it more or less frightening then the average if he was flying with her in his arms, after all she literally couldn't look down.  But that was a question that could wait to be answered till another much later day.


----



Reed didn't have too much trouble finding Susan, she was sitting up on her bed (or considering how much use the two had gotten out of it over the course of the last month it might as well be considered their bed) wordlessly practicing an unorthodox use for her powers.  She pulled her arm back, then whipped it forward, stretching out her arm and curling her fist into a perfect sphere in the process.  It bounced off the floor, off the far wall, and then with a twist of her wrist it snapped back to its normal position and shape. 

Reed hesitantly stood at the side of the bed.  "Something bothering you?"  Susan repeated the trick and then shook her head.  On one hand Reed wanted to respect her privacy, but on the other hand, being in a relationship (whatever exactly their relationship was at the moment) meant that they were expected to share things with one another. 

Not to mention Reed was pretty sure that if left unchecked her current mood would seep into her performance as Ultra Woman, and then it might end up not just affecting him but the rest of the team (if not the entire world) as well.  So Reed slowly and carefully got into bed next to Susan, his body language making it clear that there was nothing sexual about the action.  Susan for her part either didn't mind, or just didn't care, wordlessly bouncing her arm off the floor and wall once again. 

"You know, all things considered amoeba's have to be just about the stupidest living things on the face of the planet.  Not to say their inefficiently designed, it's just that for the most part their nothing more then glorified cells.  No higher thought processes at all, they just head natures various calls.  They engulf their prey entirely so that it isn't so much digested as absorbed.  Then they generates packets of waste materials that they can push them out through the membrane that separates their bodies from the world around them.  After which, if they've managed to absorb enough energy, they'll create duplicates of all their organelles, and reproduce by splitting themselves right down the middle creating two new amoebas." 

Susan was apparently unimpressed, since only the sound of her outstretched fist ricocheting against floor and wall answered his unasked questions.  Undaunted Reed pressed on.  "Humans on the other hand are considerably more advanced, though that's a gigantic understatement to say the least.  That ability to think and reason has been the driving force behind humanity's ability to not only survive, but also thrive in all but the most unbearable places." 

Susan looked like she was about to throw her fist against he wall again, but stopped midmotion and turned to look at Reed who wasn't wearing any of his armor (though he was wearing his newly designed fleshy facemask) at the moment.  "You know, it really is amazing how someone as smart as you can be so painfully unsubtle at times."  Reed could only shrug helplessly.  "I'm just saying that it would probably be better for you to be open about what's bothering you, rather then just trying to ignore it. 

That's the entire point of having a team isn't it?  When one of us is having trouble the other's pitch in to help.  Now if there are some things you'd rather not talk with Johnny or Ben about I can understand, but I'd like to think that there's nothing we need to hide from one another."  Susan sighed emphatically, adjusting her posture from sitting up to laying down with her head on a pillow.  "Fine then, you want to know what's bothering me Reed?  Everything." 

Reed was just a little bit surprised by her answer.  "I don't suppose you could find a way to be a more specific?"  Susan sighed again, and held out her hands, lengthening her fingers for a moment before returning them back to normal.  "Since about noon today I've been screwing up every single thing I've tried to do, which coincidentally happens to be all the important stuff I've tried to do today. 

Yes I'm good in, as, or around the bed, I'm a fine cook, and I know how to fill a dress but that's all well, 'wife stuff' for lack of a better term.  So while Susan Storm had a bang up morning, Ultra Woman had a really lousy afternoon.  I couldn't get hold of that jumper which should have been a piece of cake.  At the Puppet Master's house I had a warning that I might have given myself away but rather then sensibly heading back to inform you three about what I already knew, I kept going further into the lion's mouth and got captured, and to top it off not only was I unable to escape but the Puppet Master almost managed to use me as a way of subduing the three of you until he had all four of us under his control.  That's what's bothering me Reed." 

While she spoke she returned to her sitting up position on the bed.  As if he was handling an extremely dangerous substance that might react violently at any moment Reed began to slowly work an arm forward, bringing it down on Susan's shoulder all while watching her face to see if she showed any sign of discomfort.  She didn't, and once Reed had completed this action he spoke.  "Ultra Woman, I don't care about any of that." 

Weather it was Susan Storm or Ultra Woman that Reed was in bed with, she huffed indignantly at his words.  "Well I do.  Being a superheroine is my day job, even if its hardly a 9/5 employment schedule, it's still what I'm going to choose to do every time the opportunity presents itself, not to mention it is obviously the most important thing I can do with my life. 

So if I fail at being a superheroine, it makes me feel like a failure no matter what else I'm good at."  Reed slowly began to shift his posture, trying to work that arm on Susan's right shoulder over to her left one so that he could pull her in close.  "So Susan, that 'wife stuff' even if you feel its unimportant, you also feel like you're very good at it?"  During her nod Reed's fingers slowly moved a few more centimetres. 

"How long exactly have you been working in those particular areas?"  There was another sigh so great that Reed was sure he saw her body bludge outwards slightly as she drew the air in before letting it out.  "Cooking more or less since I was in my late teens, you know ever since my mother died and my dad left me and Johnny alone to look after each other.  As for the dresses, probably ever since I graduated highschool.  As for the sex, well since you were my first you'd probably know how long better then I do, though I think we didn't start really rocking each other's worlds until a month ago for obvious reasons.  Why do you ask?" 

Reed answered Susan's question with another one of his own.  "And how long have you been a superheroine?"  Susan shook her mane of blond hair in irritation.  "Seven months more or less, I think we both know that pretty well, once again, why do you ask?"  Reed moved his hand just another millimeter or so, hoping that now that he had fully laid things out for Susan to see she would better understand his point.  "I ask because I'm trying to help you realize Susan that not everything in the world comes as quickly as these powers. 

Even though I was incredibly gifted as a child, it still took me years, decades of hard work to become as intelligent as I am today.  That's why how good a superheroine you are right now doesn't bother me, and it shouldn't bother you.  We're all still learning how to best use our powers, what exactly it means to be a superhero team, and unfortunently it's not like there are books one can study on the subject before hand. 

Whatever your issues with your performance, we still doubtlessly can consider today a win.  That means the only way that whatever mistakes we made matter, is that we make sure to learn from them.  The longer we work at it, the simple basics of superheroing, how to use our powers, how to work together, the better we'll get at them.  Give yourself some time Susan and I promise once you've gotten plenty of experience at it you'll be able to do a wonderful job at anything you set your mind to." 

Susan's body seemed to deflate slightly, sliding out of Reed's grasp, all but turning into a two dimensional representation of herself, and yet without effecting her ability to talk.  "You talk about the future Reed, but that's exactly what I'm worried about, that I'm getting worse instead of better.  Twice today my powers seemed determine to cut out on me well before I reached what I thought my limits were. 

When we were rescuing you a month ago Victor had set up a trap for me that involved a room quickly filling to the brim with concrete, but I was able to thin my body down to the point that I was able to move through tiny airpockets in the stuff and escape.  Today?  Today I couldn't even stretch my body straight up to the top of a bridge I was standing on, or expand myself enough to fill a room. 

So what if I already hit the peak of my powers and can only go down from there?  Maybe I'm nothing but a rubber band who's been stretched one too many times.  I don't have much left in the way of snap, my edges are starting to fray, and it's only a matter of time till I break apart?" 

Reed reached out and cradled as much as he could of Susan's limp form in his hands.  "You know, your not the only one who worries about things like that."  The downcast nature of Susan's eyes seemed to vanish and her body began to feel a bit more like normal, normal for her at least.  "What do you mean?"  Reed pressed a finger firmly to his head.  "Ever since I got this body, my mental powers just haven't been what they used to be. 

Time was when I could effortlessly keep track of any of the three of you, 'see' through your eyes with but a thought, now I have to focus to do it.  Not to mention there are things I used to be able to do that now I just flat out can't.  Before I had a body, even if I hadn't been able to defeat the Puppet Master in a battle of will for control of your mind, I could have simply disarmed him by using telekinesis to pull whatever puppet he was using right out of his hands.  Now?  Now I can't flip a coin with my mind let alone pit my mental muscles against someone else's physical ones and win." 

Susan snored derisively.  "So what?  Even if your mental abilities aren't what they used to be you've still got Doom's armor which should more than make up for them in most situations."  Reed just calmly pointed a finger straight at the "puddle" that was Susan's face.  "Would it make you feel more confident in your abilities as a superheroine if I offered to make a suit of hightech armor for you?'  Susan pulled herself back to normal sat up and shook her head decisively. 

"No, I guess I see your point Reed, our powers are our own and unique.  So when we use them, we're doing what no one else could do.  That's why we both want to be able to do as much as we can with them."  Reed nodded, glad to see that he had gotten his point across.  "Tell you what then, right here and now the two of us can shake hands and promise that no matter what, we'll keep practicing, keep learning how to do every single thing we can with our powers. 

And if for some reason it seems like we're running out of fuel for them, then I'll find a way to artificially replicate the accident that gave them to us in the first place, if that doesn't recharge, or possibly even supercharge our batteries nothing will."  Susan took his hand and shook it.  "Deal."  "  Besides Ultra Woman, considering that even if you were under the Puppet Master's control at the time you still managed to effectively defeat all three of us I wouldn't worry too much about the possibilities that you're powers are decreasing."

Susan just sat there for a moment and then she smiled.  "Yeah, I guess I did, maybe this old girls got more snap left in her then I thought."  Reed smiled as well, he was he leader of the Fantastic Four, it was his job to make sure that the other members of the team were happy and that of course went double (if not triple) when Susan Storm was involved.  "A greater exaggeration then you calling yourself 'old' is hard to imagine Susan."  For a few moments her face glowed with pride, though it turned to suspicion rather quickly.  "By the way Reed, don't think you're fooling me, I know perfectly well why you want to keep Ultra Woman around.  Once a man's had a taste of my fantastic elastic love, every page of the Karma Sutra seems pathetically closed minded by comparison." 

Reed chuckled, glad to see Susan started to feel noticeably more energetic.  "While you are right, without your powers I'd never feel quite so, intimate, with you, that's not what I like the most about how you've acted since you got your powers."  Susan's entire body began to ripple slightly and she extend herself across the bed, evidently determined to keep Reed there for as long as she pleased.  "Really, then you can consider me intrigued, what could you possibly miss more?" 

Reed looked up at the ceiling and took a moment to properly marshal his thoughts.  "A relationship is like an oral contract, on second thought that's not a very good metaphor, since all things considered up to the point that it becomes officially documented as a marriage a relationship actually is nothing more then an oral contract but..."  There was a tugging sensation as Susan pulled herself taut around Reed's chest, a non to subtle nudge of her own about how he should be getting to the point.  "Anyway, like any oral contract a relationship can either be an all but unbreakable bond, or something that could be undone by a single gust of wind. 

What determines how strong it is, is how much faith is put into it, and once one person starts to put faith into it the other invariably follows unless they intend to deceive their partner.  One of the biggest problem that the two of us have had, is that while we both love each other, neither of us had put much faith in the relationship.  Or at least up until we gained our powers we hadn't, when I heard you talk about how you were determined to stick it out with me even when I didn't have a body, all of a sudden for the first time one of us was not only invested, but investing in our relationship.  That's why I can fearlessly throw myself at you whenever you ask me to, because even though that's just sex, it's built on a foundation so solid that not even an earthquake could shake it." 

To Reed's surprise Susan seemed more miffed then anything else by his words.  "So you expected me to be the first one to put faith in our relationship?  Next thing you know you'll be asking me if I really can do that amoeba trick of splitting myself in half so that I can handle the entire task of producing our children myself as well." 

There was a certain amount of whimsy in her voice, but it was far from being the most prevailing element.  "Susan, in my book a someone is never smarter then when they know there own limitations, and I just happen to know that I fall pretty far short of average when it comes to romance. 

That's why I didn't have much faith in our relationship, even though I loved you, I was always worried that I'd end up saying or doing the wrong thing, and then it would be all over before I even realized what exactly I'd done wrong."  At those words she loosened her grip on him, slightly.

"Okay, but take a look at it from my perspective.  Back when we first started going out I was an under-endowed slip of a girl who's IQ would probably wasn't, and probably never will be half of yours.  Not to mention I came with the wonderful baggage of a younger brother who still is determined to prove that even if his body is growing up doesn't mean he has to. 

I was constantly worried that I'd turn out to be nothing but your flavor of the month or first conquest.  A proving and practice ground, before you moved onto someone who you had more genuine interests in.  That's one of the main reasons I decided to go on that flight into space.  I 'knew' for a fact that considering how famous it would make you, you'd have women lining up around the block for a chance at you, so I needed to do everything I could to keep myself on the inside track, like being the woman who went into space with you.

Of course the entire you getting turned into a living brain thing did a pretty good job of keep that from coming to pass, but like you would say, I was just working from the data I had on hand at the time.  But if you want faith in our relationship, I think it's safe to say you've got it."  As if to prove her point, Susan wrapped various parts of her body around Reed's, carefully keeping her grip snug rather then painful.  "Even if I end up looking like a fool who can't properly express his boundless love for you?" 

Susan's face came to rest only a few inches away from Reed's.  "I haven't been driven away that particular flaw yet, I'll be satisfied as long as I can tell you're trying."  "Do you know what I'd like to try right now?"  Susan began to throw on another loop of her body around Reed's, adding this one more slowly and seductively then the others.  "What?" 

"I'd like to finally give you a proper physical so that I could not only get a better understanding of how your new body works, and also possibly find out what's going wrong with your powers."  Susan's entire body went slack at once.  "That's exactly the kind of mood killing but well meaning statment that I'm more or less perfectly willing to put up with.  Besides, you've got a point, knowing what's going on inside me, and even better what to do about it, probably would do more to insure I get a good night's sleep then any overly extravagant style of sex I cared to have with you.

----

It felt like it went on for hours, but that was probably just a mix of the waiting, and how boring it was to just lie there while Reed poked, prodded, and otherwise studied her.  Of course it became even more boring once Reed started analyzing his findings after he'd gotten all the information he wanted.  Before she knew it Susan was transforming one of her shoulders into something that more or less passed for a pillow and falling asleep on it, only to be woken up to the sight of the other three members of the Fantastic Four standing beside her.

Susan undid her stretch, smiled sheepishly and then slid off the examining table she'd ended up catching a nap on.  Apparently while she'd been asleep Reed had not only called in the other two members of the Fantastic Four but also put on his armor.  "Sorry I didn't wake you sooner Susan, it's just we've all had a busy day and what I found out will probably have a rather profound effect upon the future of the Fantastic Four, so I felt that it would be more productive to just say it once and get it over with.  If you'll follow me to my machines I'll show you exactly what I've deduced." 

Susan followed slowly, her mind reeling with all the possible horrible things Reed might have found out about her.  That indeed her powers were going away.  That her powers were getting 'stronger' and before she knew it she really would be nothing more then an elastic amoeba.  That she'd contracted some kind of deadly disease and the havoc it was playing with her powers was the first sign of it. 

Then the sound of Reed's voice somehow managed to break through the conga line of terrors each one more horrible then the last that was currently dancing through her head.  "It was just a hunch at first, but after I noticed how all the signs seemed to be pointing towards one thing in particular I looked for it, and sure enough there it was.  I've come to a 99.9999999% certain conclusion that Susan Storm is pregnant."  For a few moments Susan just stood their dumbly thinking "oh so that's all it is..." then reality hit her like a ten ton brick.  

------

Three voices responded at the exact same time with almost the exact same words, Ben and Johnny both harmonized on "she's what?" while Susan responded with her own "I'm what?"  Reed just shrugged helplessly.  "Susan all the data I've gathered points towards the all but inevitable conclusion that you're pregnant."  Johnny was the first one who managed to get actual independent words out of his mouth.  "How exactly did this happen?"

This question had a strange effect on Ben, because for a moment he was able to fall into his old routine of bantering with Johnny rather than focusing on the shocking news.  "Well Tinman, when two humans love each other very much, the man sticks his one into the woman's zero, and then..."  Johnny luckily didn't let his anger at being mocked get the better of him to such an extent that he transformed before he knocked away the hand Ben had patronizingly placed on his shoulder.

"Thanks for telling me exactly what I already know wings, that part I'm already familiar with.  I'm just wondering how exactly did it happen in this particular situation?  Since it involves my sister, who always told me that it didn't matter how head over heels in love I was, I wasn't suppose to do it unless we both used protection."

Susan couldn't help it, she blushed even as she tried to look stern.  "Well I'm still your older sister, and was the closest thing you had to a mother at the time, so remember, do as I say not as I do.  Besides, it's complicated, you see I though I was infertile at the time..."  "Which given current circumstances is a possibility that we can rule out rather firmly."  It took no great skill to notice that just maybe there was a bit too much pride in Reed's voice as he made that announcement.

Susan just sighed, admitting to herself (but certainly not out loud) that technically Reed did have something to be proud of, he'd done his part from a evolutionary standpoint, he'd managed to get her pregnant.  Hell, from that same stand point Susan had something to be proud of as well, apparently her womb wasn't the barren inhospitable wasteland she had though it was.

"Well, I suppose at the very least that explains why I've been  tossing some of my meals recently.  So exactly how far along am I?"  Reed took a moment to glance at the clipboard he was holding, thought Susan was sure he had memorized every single word, every single letter on it.

"You're about a month along give or take.  But there's something else that stuck out rather blatantly once I started testing you, there's more than one fetus."  As he was somewhat prone to, Johnny's temperament changed as quickly as skin could.  "Really?  Cool, I'm going to be the uncle to a pair of twins!"  Reed's eyes went back to the sheet and Susan felt a sinking sensation settle deep in her gut, as if her belly was stretching itself out till it hit the floor.

"I'm sorry, I guess I should have just come out and said it at the start, but it's significantly more then twins.  If my equipment is correct I believe it's sextuplets."  Ben and Johnny just staired on in confusion, while Susan buried her face in her hands, sighed, and then explained the term that she recongized only because as a woman it was her place to know such things.  "That's six."  Once again the two other male members of the Fantastic Four harmonized saying the exact same words.  "Six?"

Ben took a couple steps closer, his hands the perfect distance away from her.  They weren't actually touching her, but they were close enough for her to feel the warmth of them.  That was just the right distance for a man who had both entered and exited the running for her affections due to incredibly unlikely circumstances.  "Well gee Susy, I'm not sure if I should be congratulating you, or saying that you've got my condolences." 

Johnny of course seemed bound and determined to destroy the drama of the situation.  "Six?  As in two, plus two, plus another two?  Two times three?  Wow, no wonder my sister suggested that you call yourself Mr. Fantastic."  Reed of course was as ever noticeably humble for someone in his situation.  "This unexpected development says more about Susan's fertility then my virility Johnny.  And now, would you two mind horribly if I asked for some time alone with Susan so that we can discuss this development?  While it doubtlessly does effect on the entire team, the two of us are a bit more personally involved in it, to say the least."

For a response Ben grabbed Johnny by the shoulder and started flapping his wings to help him pull Susan's brother from the room before he could react.  "Come on rust bucket, lets get going, the cables out at the moment and I need you to stand behind the TV and shift back and forth until the reception picks up."

Reed closed the door behind them with another small satisfied nod.  "Would you like to lie down?"  Susan nodded dumbly and with his armor augmented strength Reed easily lifted Susan up, another quick psychic command and a good sized bed folded out of one of the walls of his lab.  Then Reed simply laid her down on it, then lifted up her head, fluffed a pillow gently before returning to its orrigional resting place.

"Six of them..."  Susan repeated the words several times, like a child having been told that their beloved pet had died, and that they simply refused to believe it unless they heard it from their own lips several times.  Eventually however she managed to gather her wits, slightly at least, she was still more babbling then truly speaking.  "I've got some memories of back when my mother was pregnant with Johnny.  They're sorta fuzzy, but from what I can remember, she was huge.  That's probably just my memory playing tricks with me, especially because I was hardly fully grown at the time, but still, six!"

Reed just nodded along as best he could.  "Well at least the sooner we noticed, the sooner we can start planning for how to deal with it.  Though I suppose it couldn't have gone unnoticed for very long, but my point is that you're not even halfway into the first trimester, the things still have tails after all!  So, if you wanted to abort them, or even just some of them to leave yourself pregnant with a more manageable number, I'd be more then willing to help get you in contact with someone who could take care of the operation.."

Susan placed her hands on her still flat belly, though she didn't imagine it would stay that way much longer.  "Thanks for the offer but I don't think so, especially to that second option.  Even as a superheroine, no, especially because I'm a superheroine, I don't feel comfortable with the idea of picking out who lives and who dies, even though I know you could talk my arms off about how they're not really 'my children' yet. 

You'd have to get them all or none of them, and I don't think I want to lose all of them.  For all we know if we throw this chance away we might not get another one.  So I guess I want to keep the little bastards, all six of them."  "Language Susan, language."  Somehow the way Reed instinctively bristled at her profanities made her feel a little bit better about everything.

"What, I was just describing the situation.  Yeah we've been going back and forth in our relationship for a while, and for the last month we've deffiently been 'on' pretty dam hard, but that's all.  We're not husband and wife, or even engaged.  Which would by default make these children bastards." 

Reed shook his head firmly.  "Actually, the dictionary definition of the term only applies to children who are born when their parents aren't married, not ones which are conceived that way.  And personally I don't think there's a chance in hell of that coming to pass, at least, not unless you want it to."  Reed talking scientifically about curse words was something absurd enough to make her giggle like a knocked up schoolgirl, which coincidentally she currently more or less was, or at least felt like.

"Of course I'll marry you Reed, though I suppose any hopes I had of being a proper role model are pretty much over and done with."  Reed took off one of his gauntlets, and ran a hand through her blond hair, a gesture of affection that was easier and more enjoyable for him than kissing.  "You're a woman in love Susan, I'd be very surprise if that's not something people the entire world over can understand fairly easily.  So, how do you want to get married?"

Susan sighed dramatically as she considered her choices.  "Isn't that just Sophie's Choice Reed?  We could elope and get it over and done with inside a week, not that'll make much difference in the end, since after I give birth anyone who can do rudimentary math and knows how long a pregnancy is suppose to last will notice that things didn't line up properly.  Or, I can take the time to plan out the kind of wedding I'd always like to have, but that'll take at least a couple of months, so by the time it happens I'd be waddling my way down the aisle for everyone to see, not to mention for every single recording of the event to capture just how large I'd have gotten by that point."

She just left her options hanging there as she pondered the pros and cons of each one.  "Would mind if I made a suggestion?  Since I am doubtlessly in part responsible for putting you in your current situation I should at least try to help you deal with it."  Susan chuckled in black humor.  "Reed, in the end I'm the only one who's responsible for my situation.  As the woman I'm the one who is suppose to be 'playing defence', you even went so far as to remind me of the fact before hand, and what did I do?

I stood on the sidelines cheering you on, waving pom poms, and doing everything but twisting my body to spell out letters.  That said, it's going to take a day even stranger than any of the ones we've currently had before I don't want your opinion on an issue as important in my life as this.  Besides, you are going to be the groom, right?  That means what you want our wedding to be like disserves at least some consideration."

Reed nodded and coughed once to clear his throat before responding.  "Well Susan, there's a phrase, 'refuge in audacity', it seems to have been one of our guiding principles ever since we've gained these powers why not stick by it?  No secret identities, no double lives, no hidden caves under ground, or some other inaccessible place, from what I understand that's hardly normal superhero operating procedure.

I get this face put back together, you plan whatever kind of overly dramatic wedding we want, and I don't care in the slightest if when I'm told to kiss the bride you need to lengthen your neck so that your belly doesn't get in the way.  If you pick out a particular wedding dress you like I'll even make a version of it out of unstable molecules. 

Susan giggled again, a smile coming to her lips.  "That kind of 'audacity' I think I can get behind one hundred precent, as opposed to say we get married naked and start doing it right at the alter once its over."  "It's the logical way to go about things, we realized that we were going to be a spectacle the moment we discovered we had these powers, so we decided we might as well try and shape the spectacle, rather then letting it shape us.  We deal with this situation the same way."

A very long sigh left Susan's lips.  "I just hope the two of us are up to the task of taking care of six children."  Reed shook his head.  "There's always your brother and Benjamin to keep in mind as well when your doing calculations like those."  Susan knew he was right, and knew that he meant it in a way different from how she now chose to interpret it.

"Your right, the two of us are going to have to look after eight children, well least I won't have to worry about breast feeding and changing the last two."  She chuckled again, and sudden a strange thought occurred to her.  "Reed, do those notes of yours have any information about what effect my powers might have on my pregnancy, or vice versa?"

Reed looked back at the clipboard he still held in his gauntleted hand , then casually tossed it aside.  "Well I've got two kinds of good news on that front.  The first is that though I haven't done any exact testing, I'm 99.9 repeating percent certain that your children have inherited your elasticity.  As I'm sure you'll be glad to hear unlike my guesstimate regarding the strength of our ships shielding, this one happens to be based on empirical evidence, even if it was gained outside ideal conditions."

Strength seemed to be returning to Susan's body as she managed to go from laying down to sitting up, or maybe it was just that the massive sense of overwhelming, whatever, that had left her paralysed was fading.  "What evidence is that exactly?"  Reed placed his hand directly on top of Susan's belly button.  "Well consider just how many times in the last month you've stretched your entire body into something about as thin across as a sheet of paper, I can think of at least a dozen of them right off the bat.

There's simply no way you could have done that without unintentionally crushing our children in your womb, if it wasn't for the fact that they shared your powers.  I think that's also explains the 'kinks' or whatever you've been feeling.  When you've stretched your own body out a considerable distance, though nowhere near your limits of course, your children have unintentionally attempted to mirror your feat.

That sense of  something within you stretching itself would make anyone feel unusual and upset, so your body pulled itself back to normal, making your growing children do the same.  As ironic as it sounds some flexibility exercises, specially tailored to your particular situation of course, would probably be just what you need to get your children used to you using your powers and your body in turn used to their reactions.

Susan sighed as she laid back down.  She'd once upon a time wondered if her children would have her powers, apparently in retrospect it clearly wasn't a matter of if, they had to have them, or else they never would have survived long enough for her to notice that she was pregnant.

That thought both terrified and elated her, terrified because of what could have happened, and elated because it hadn't.  "I take it those are the two bits of good news you mentioned?"  Reed shook his head.  "Actually know, that's one bit of good news, and one explanation.  The second bit of good news, well I think you would understand it best if you close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to."

Susan decided she didn't have much to loose, and Reed so very rarely felt as playful as he evidently did at the moment, so she might as well encourage him.  "Okay then, but remember, be gentle with me, I've got six buns in my oven."  Susan closed her eyes and a few moments latter felt both of Reed's hands (he had doubtlessly taken the other gauntlet off from how warm they both felt) removing the lower portion of her outfit, then her panties before they both began to massage her vagina causing her shiver with delight.

"Reed if your trying to tell me that my being pregnant means that we can have sex whenever we've got the time, the same way we were acting when we though I was barren, I've already come to that conclusion myself."  Of course even as Susan said the words she still kept her eyes closed, just in case she was wrong, which as it turned out she was.  "No, just give me a few moments longer, ahh there we go, that should do the trick."

Susan opened her eyes and looked suspiciously at Reed's grinning face.  "Okay Reed, I give up, what exactly is this second bit of good news?"  Reed just motioned for her to come closer, which she did, outstretching her neck so that she could see just what her lover had done to her body.  It was rather blindingly obvious once she got a good look at her nether regions.

Reed had pulled and stretched her vagina until it was now wide enough for him to have easily fit his bare fist inside.  "I can't promise you that it'll go that easily eight months or so from now, but if this particular test is any proof...?"  Susan smiled as she willed her body to stretch her pussy out to a gapping opening that would have been wide enough to swallow both of her lovers hands, before returning it back to its normal shape and size, and pulling her undergarments and pants back up.

"You're right Reed, that is good news.  I won't even need any of the anaesthetics that you could obviously whip up that would keep me lucid even while dulling the pain.  I'm going to give birth so easily that women the world over will be jealous!  So let's see, I'm currently stinking rich thanks to all the patness and inventions you've been turning out lately, in love with a man who returns my affections, I'm unlikely to develop back problems, the idea of stretch marks is a laugh and a half, and for the cherry on top giving birth is gonna be a piece of cake.

Okay kids, I know your father could tell me all about how you don't have ears yet, but if your as smart as he is then maybe you don't need them, or maybe you'll just pick it up in the mother to child bond that we've currently got going.  Either way, bring on the big breasts and the bigger belly, I can take it.  You six just play nice with each other in there and be born happy and healthy okay?"  There was no response of course, the kinks were not to be confused with kicks.  Well no response from the children at least.

"Susan I'll get to work on designing a diet for you that'll make sure your, our children are extra healthy.  The main problem with having multiple children growing up inside a woman's womb at the same time a is that they usually end up cramped for space, a problem that hopefully won't raise its ugly head in this situation, for obvious reasons."  Susan laid back on that pillow again, she could only hope that listening to Reed describe all the things he was going to do and make to help her deal with her condition would prove to be the worst part of it.  It certainly looked that way so far.