((Follows on directly from All's Well that Ends Well.))
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"You know," Vicki was saying as she bent to pull the stick from Cosmo's mouth with no little effort - the collie wasn't keen on letting go of the impressive piece of brush he'd unearthed for his game, "I didn't really get a proper chance to thank you for coming to get us." She drew her hand back and threw the stick, sending Cosmo bounding after it with a cheerful bark and wagging tail. She smiled over at Johnny. "The least you could do is let me raid Jon's wardrobe for you. You can't be comfortable walking around in skin-tight lycra and nothing else. Not that you aren't studly in it, of course." She chuckled, teasing Johnny as easily as she teased everyone else she came into contact with.
Johnny watched as the dog bounded off after the stick. He and Cosmo had played this game more than once, only Johnny had to be careful not to set the stick on fire. He'd learned that the hard way. He shrugged, seeming as comfortable and at ease in his skin-tight uniform as Vicki's husband did in Armani. "I kind of have to wear it, Vicki. It's the only thing I own that doesn't go up in flames." Admittedly, unless she was a comic book fan, she probably didn't know very much about him or his particular talents.
"You should get other clothes made in the same material, then," she suggested with a grin, glancing up in time to see the dog accelerating back toward her. "Oh, cripes ..." She stepped smartly behind the Human Torch, and Cosmo crashed into him, all paws and fur and his precious stick clutched in his jaws as Vicki laughed impishly.
"It's not that..." Johnny broke off as Cosmo came rushing back toward them, careening into Johnny with the retrieved stick. Johnny laughed, flashing a grin over his shoulder at Vicki, who had smartly taken refuge behind him. "He can do this all day, you know," Johnny informed her, as if Vicki didn't know this about her own dog. "He's a good dog. Smart as a whip." Johnny leaned over to rub the dog behind an ear and coax the stick out of Cosmo's mouth.
"Oh, I know," she agreed with a smile, sticking her tongue out at the dog as she came out from behind the superhero she'd been hiding behind. "I think you're the only person with as much energy as he has, to be honest." She eased herself down onto the cool stone of a nearby bench, watching the pair of them playing, and her smile softened a little. "Is Liv okay?" she asked quietly. "I thought she'd still be here when we woke up, especially with you still around."
Johnny turned in place, pulling the stick as he did so, Cosmo following, neither of them seeming to get dizzy. The smile on his face faded a little when Vicki asked about Liv, and they were both reminded of the night before. "She's blaming herself. The old man was a little hard on her, but she'll be okay," he said as he came to a halt, crouching down and ruffling Cosmo's ears until he gave up the stick, the two of them flopping on the ground, despite the cold, Cosmo warmed by his spot on Johnny's lap. "How are you?" Johnny asked, looking over at Vicki, with a surprisingly concerned expression on his face.
The redhead sighed a little, half-smiling at the plop of man and dog onto the grass. "I was hoping Humph wouldn't take it out on her," she admitted reluctantly, knowing that the Old Man could be a tyrant when he was in a bad mood. "None of it was her fault; we're the ones who snuck out on security." She shook her head, gently rubbing her hand over the bump at her waist as he met her eyes, asking after her own state. Her half-smile returned, one hand rising to touch the dark bruise that marred the pale skin of her throat for a moment. "I'll live," was her reply, short and to the point. "I got a scare, and it'll take a while to get over that. But I can't show it too deeply, not until I know Jon won't take it to heart and try to divorce me for my own protection."
Johnny didn't really know Vicki or Jon enough to know whether Vicki was being facetious or serious and the look on his face showed it. "I don't think he'd do that, would he" He adores you." But then, there had been a time when he'd told Liv it was too dangerous for her to be with him, so he kind of understood what the man was going through. He frowned as his eyes followed her touch to the dark bruise at her throat. "Wish I'd gotten there sooner," he told her soberly as his fingers scritched at Cosmo's fur.
"So do I," Vicki told him honestly. It was a strength and a weakness in her character that kept her honest unless a lie would do more good; it gave her sincerity when she faced up against Jon's tendency toward angst. "Not that it really would have changed anything. The damage was done as soon as I knew what she was planning to do to me. Nothing's worse than my own imagination." She didn't comment further on what Jon might or might not do to keep her safe, not wanting to air too much of what was truly private, instead lowering her eyes to Cosmo, who had abandoned his stick in favor of rolling onto his back and inviting Johnny to rub his belly.
"I'm sorry, Vicki," Johnny told her seriously and sincerely, his expression conveying the deeper feelings he hid from most of the world but allowed a select few he trusted to see. "Liv is sorry, too. If there's anything we can do..." He trailed off, leaving the offer open and out there if she cared to take advantage of it. There wasn't much more he could do than that really. He didn't really feel the kind of guilt Jon or Liv did, but being who he was, he wished he could have helped more than he had. He was supposed to be a hero, after all, but he couldn't be a hero if he didn't know when people needed his help. He wondered if he should do something about that. For a moment, Johnny forgot about Cosmo, but Cosmo was hard to forget and soon, Johnny's all-too-warm fingers were rubbing Cosmo's furry belly to the dog's utter contentment.
"Just do what you've always done," the redhead told him quietly, her expression warm through her smile. "Don't hold onto the guilt, either of you. You're our friends, not our keepers." Her smile deepened at the sound of Cosmo's happy little sighs under the absent-minded affection being handed out to him. "And, um ....I'm not sure quite how, but I know I'd feel a lot better if you had some kind of direct link to us. Maybe the GG folks can set you up with a comm link or something?"
He arched a brow at her idea, nearly reading his mind. He already had a comm link to the Avengers. It couldn't be that hard to link it up somehow to Jon and Vicki's cellphones or something, but science and technology had never been his thing. That had been Reed's area of expertise. "That's where Liv went, to Granger Conglomerate R&D. Probably to get some new-fangled security stuff to make sure you two stay safe." That was about as scientific as Johnny's brain got. It wasn't that he was stupid; it just wasn't his thing.
"Let me guess ....she didn't have a choice about it," Vicki snorted, making an educated guess about who and where this little sidetrip for Jon's solemn little P.A. had come from. A snore reverberated from the collie under Johnny's hand, knocking any thought of continuing the serious conversation out of her mind as she laughed. "You know, I think he might be considering moving in with you."
Johnny smiled as the subject returned to that of the collie who he'd somehow managed to put to sleep. "I don't think so. It's pretty clear who his master is. I'm just a temporary replacement." His smile faded a little, his fondness for the dog obvious by the look on his face. "I've never had a dog," he told her, purposely not going into why. Ironically, neither had Jon. It was something the two men had in common, though neither knew it yet.
"You know," Vicki was saying as she bent to pull the stick from Cosmo's mouth with no little effort - the collie wasn't keen on letting go of the impressive piece of brush he'd unearthed for his game, "I didn't really get a proper chance to thank you for coming to get us." She drew her hand back and threw the stick, sending Cosmo bounding after it with a cheerful bark and wagging tail. She smiled over at Johnny. "The least you could do is let me raid Jon's wardrobe for you. You can't be comfortable walking around in skin-tight lycra and nothing else. Not that you aren't studly in it, of course." She chuckled, teasing Johnny as easily as she teased everyone else she came into contact with.
Johnny watched as the dog bounded off after the stick. He and Cosmo had played this game more than once, only Johnny had to be careful not to set the stick on fire. He'd learned that the hard way. He shrugged, seeming as comfortable and at ease in his skin-tight uniform as Vicki's husband did in Armani. "I kind of have to wear it, Vicki. It's the only thing I own that doesn't go up in flames." Admittedly, unless she was a comic book fan, she probably didn't know very much about him or his particular talents.
"You should get other clothes made in the same material, then," she suggested with a grin, glancing up in time to see the dog accelerating back toward her. "Oh, cripes ..." She stepped smartly behind the Human Torch, and Cosmo crashed into him, all paws and fur and his precious stick clutched in his jaws as Vicki laughed impishly.
"It's not that..." Johnny broke off as Cosmo came rushing back toward them, careening into Johnny with the retrieved stick. Johnny laughed, flashing a grin over his shoulder at Vicki, who had smartly taken refuge behind him. "He can do this all day, you know," Johnny informed her, as if Vicki didn't know this about her own dog. "He's a good dog. Smart as a whip." Johnny leaned over to rub the dog behind an ear and coax the stick out of Cosmo's mouth.
"Oh, I know," she agreed with a smile, sticking her tongue out at the dog as she came out from behind the superhero she'd been hiding behind. "I think you're the only person with as much energy as he has, to be honest." She eased herself down onto the cool stone of a nearby bench, watching the pair of them playing, and her smile softened a little. "Is Liv okay?" she asked quietly. "I thought she'd still be here when we woke up, especially with you still around."
Johnny turned in place, pulling the stick as he did so, Cosmo following, neither of them seeming to get dizzy. The smile on his face faded a little when Vicki asked about Liv, and they were both reminded of the night before. "She's blaming herself. The old man was a little hard on her, but she'll be okay," he said as he came to a halt, crouching down and ruffling Cosmo's ears until he gave up the stick, the two of them flopping on the ground, despite the cold, Cosmo warmed by his spot on Johnny's lap. "How are you?" Johnny asked, looking over at Vicki, with a surprisingly concerned expression on his face.
The redhead sighed a little, half-smiling at the plop of man and dog onto the grass. "I was hoping Humph wouldn't take it out on her," she admitted reluctantly, knowing that the Old Man could be a tyrant when he was in a bad mood. "None of it was her fault; we're the ones who snuck out on security." She shook her head, gently rubbing her hand over the bump at her waist as he met her eyes, asking after her own state. Her half-smile returned, one hand rising to touch the dark bruise that marred the pale skin of her throat for a moment. "I'll live," was her reply, short and to the point. "I got a scare, and it'll take a while to get over that. But I can't show it too deeply, not until I know Jon won't take it to heart and try to divorce me for my own protection."
Johnny didn't really know Vicki or Jon enough to know whether Vicki was being facetious or serious and the look on his face showed it. "I don't think he'd do that, would he" He adores you." But then, there had been a time when he'd told Liv it was too dangerous for her to be with him, so he kind of understood what the man was going through. He frowned as his eyes followed her touch to the dark bruise at her throat. "Wish I'd gotten there sooner," he told her soberly as his fingers scritched at Cosmo's fur.
"So do I," Vicki told him honestly. It was a strength and a weakness in her character that kept her honest unless a lie would do more good; it gave her sincerity when she faced up against Jon's tendency toward angst. "Not that it really would have changed anything. The damage was done as soon as I knew what she was planning to do to me. Nothing's worse than my own imagination." She didn't comment further on what Jon might or might not do to keep her safe, not wanting to air too much of what was truly private, instead lowering her eyes to Cosmo, who had abandoned his stick in favor of rolling onto his back and inviting Johnny to rub his belly.
"I'm sorry, Vicki," Johnny told her seriously and sincerely, his expression conveying the deeper feelings he hid from most of the world but allowed a select few he trusted to see. "Liv is sorry, too. If there's anything we can do..." He trailed off, leaving the offer open and out there if she cared to take advantage of it. There wasn't much more he could do than that really. He didn't really feel the kind of guilt Jon or Liv did, but being who he was, he wished he could have helped more than he had. He was supposed to be a hero, after all, but he couldn't be a hero if he didn't know when people needed his help. He wondered if he should do something about that. For a moment, Johnny forgot about Cosmo, but Cosmo was hard to forget and soon, Johnny's all-too-warm fingers were rubbing Cosmo's furry belly to the dog's utter contentment.
"Just do what you've always done," the redhead told him quietly, her expression warm through her smile. "Don't hold onto the guilt, either of you. You're our friends, not our keepers." Her smile deepened at the sound of Cosmo's happy little sighs under the absent-minded affection being handed out to him. "And, um ....I'm not sure quite how, but I know I'd feel a lot better if you had some kind of direct link to us. Maybe the GG folks can set you up with a comm link or something?"
He arched a brow at her idea, nearly reading his mind. He already had a comm link to the Avengers. It couldn't be that hard to link it up somehow to Jon and Vicki's cellphones or something, but science and technology had never been his thing. That had been Reed's area of expertise. "That's where Liv went, to Granger Conglomerate R&D. Probably to get some new-fangled security stuff to make sure you two stay safe." That was about as scientific as Johnny's brain got. It wasn't that he was stupid; it just wasn't his thing.
"Let me guess ....she didn't have a choice about it," Vicki snorted, making an educated guess about who and where this little sidetrip for Jon's solemn little P.A. had come from. A snore reverberated from the collie under Johnny's hand, knocking any thought of continuing the serious conversation out of her mind as she laughed. "You know, I think he might be considering moving in with you."
Johnny smiled as the subject returned to that of the collie who he'd somehow managed to put to sleep. "I don't think so. It's pretty clear who his master is. I'm just a temporary replacement." His smile faded a little, his fondness for the dog obvious by the look on his face. "I've never had a dog," he told her, purposely not going into why. Ironically, neither had Jon. It was something the two men had in common, though neither knew it yet.