006. it's inevitable, lacie march

CHAPTER SIX, it's inevitable, lacie march!

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘 slid open, almost as if they were taunting Lacie and her impending fate, or doom, as she would call it. The air hissed as their destination was revealed to them, the Silver Surfer hovering ahead of them and keeping her face neutral.

"Follow." She demanded and led the way, sinking the Fantastic Five further into the foggy air, its lack of light naturally bringing the mood down within the group; not as if they were exactly thrilled to be here in the first place.

Reed walked and looked ahead, whispering to H.E.R.B.I.E, "Scan everything and collect samples." The robot whirred and looked up at Lacie, requesting her confirmation.

Lacie gently tapped H.E.R.B.I.E on the head and encouraged him to complete Reed's words, the small android doing it immediately; his favourite being Lacie and all.

The Silver Surfer leads them deeper into the planet, the interior practically falling apart around them. "What does Galactus want?" Reed raised his voice.

"He doesn't want. He feeds." She said without sparing them a glance.

Lacie walked with Johnny, her shoulder bumping his and their hands brushing. "How does he choose which planets to consume?" Sue inquired.

"He does not." Lacie's brows furrowed and she looked up at the woman, her posture not faulting as she stood on her board. "You choose." Frostbite said aloud.

The Silver Surfer tensed at Lacie's voice, "Yes." She quickly composed herself and confirmed Lacie's assumption.

Johnny looked between Lacie and the Silver Surfer, his hand quickly reaching out to squeeze Lacie's arm as a signal that he'll be right back. Lacie glanced at him and saw his attention turned towards the woman leading them further into the planet, repressing the urge to sigh.

The Human torch leaped off the platform, "Uh, Johnny... What are you doing?" Ben perked up at Johnny's sudden departure.

"I'm just gonna charm her." Johnny quipped back before disappearing out of the group's sight.

Ben looked at Lacie who shrugged, "Just what a girl wants to hear." The Thing hung back and walked with her, not wanting her to feel alone in this strange place; considering the two people who threatened their planet conveniently knew her name.

Johnny swooped down to fly with the Silver Surfer, a lot of questions on his mind but one in particular more urgent than the other, at least in his mind.

"How did you know her name?" Johnny said, worry threaded in his voice. The woman slowly turned her head to look at him, "Whose name?" She asked.

"You know damn well whose." Johnny spat, a burst of flames emerging from his body for a second. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and think rationally, "What do you want with her?" His voice dropped.

The Silver Surfer stripped her gaze off Johnny and up to the group who were walking further away. She sighed and looked ahead, "It's not what we want with her." She answered.

"It's what needs to happen to her." Johnny's eyes widened and his face paled slightly, not wishing to press on the situation as it could worsen Lacie's involvement with whatever Galactus wanted.

Johnny's brain worked in quick succession to try and pull the Silver Surfer's focus off Lacie, "So what did you say to me? When you threw me off your board?"

She opened her mouth reluctantly and spoke her language, the exact one that Johnny and Lacie had been trying to decipher. "It's a blessing. It means 'Die with yours'."

Johnny repeated the statement and let his eyes follow Lacie's movements from far away, "Die with yours." He whispered under his breath.

"Last question." He turned to face the woman, her face lacking emotion like the first time they had encountered her. "So the surf board, right? Is that part of your body or?"

The Silver Surfer ignored his question and flew ahead, leaving Johnny behind with his mind racing, constant questions about Lacie; as if it wasn't anyway.

Johnny flew back to the Fantastic Five, landing between Lacie and Ben. He immediately linked his hands with Lacie's and she raised her eyebrows in shock, "What are you--""Stay close to me." Johnny interrupted her and shuffled closer to her as they walked, "I don't think you should be here." He swallowed and looked ahead, worried that if he looked into her eyes, he'd instantly fly her back to the ship and get her the hell home.

Ben scoffed beside the pair, "Get a room." Lacie rolled her eyes and tugged Johnny to catch up with Reed and Sue, leaving Ben to make fun of them as he trailed behind.

The Fantastic Five walked up some stairs and approached what seemed to be a black abyss. "You stand before Galactus." The woman raised her hand and gestured towards the large throne that made everyone's eyes widen; perhaps they had underestimated what they were dealing with.

Without thinking, Johnny subtly stood in front of Lacie and had his hand across her body, protecting her from what lies ahead. He hadn't realised he did it and nor did Lacie, it was something he unconsciously did every time an interdimensional threat came into play.

Ahead of them, Galactus' eyes lit up, the blue hue bright and foreboding. "The Devourer of World's honours you."

He slowly stood up, his large form taller than the building or the planet they were in. Lacie's heart plummeted into her stomach and she flinched back from the man alongside her team, her hands gripping the back of Johnny's suit as he reached his palm out for her to cup.

"We are honoured." Sue muttered and couldn't tear her eyes off the man above them, fearing that if she did, her life would be in danger.

"I was once small like you. Billions of years ago. A man from another world performed this relentless, eternal hunger." Galactus said, looking down on the team as if five people with powers generated from space was nothing to him.

"You have travelled far." He said and Johnny tightened his grip on Lacie's hand. "Yes." Reed answered, drifting closer to Sue.

"To beg for mercy." Galactus' voice sent chills down Lacie's spine, her feet shuffling herself further away from her without even noticing she was doing so.

Reed swallowed, "To talk." Galactus paused for a second, "You carry the power to save your world."

"Yes. I believe we do." Reed nodded and tried to force his voice not to waver.

Galactus' eyes wandered to Sue's stomach, her hand rested on it and the suit protecting what lay underneath. "Inside her. The child."

Sue's breathing picked up, panting in her suit as she clutched her belly. Johnny looked at his sister with concern, "What the hell?" He muttered and felt Lacie inch closer to him, her shoulder against the back of his, slightly shielding herself as Johnny's height towered over her.

Reed glanced at his wife before turning to Galactus, "What does that mean?"

"I will spare your world in exchange for the boy." Lacie's chest tightened and she looked at Sue, her hand drifting to her back in support as the woman stumbled backwards slightly. "What? No!"

Galactus stood, "He possesses the power of cosmic and he will inherit this cursed throne."

Reed shook his head, his face twitching with denial, "That's not true, he's normal! We would know," He looked over at Lacie who stood beside him at every test of his son, she nodded at him as her bottom lip quivered, "I would know, I tested the child!"

"He hides his nature from you." Galactus' eyes flickered away from Sue and her child, and settled on Lacie who stood behind Johnny, her head barely visible as Johnny blocked her from his sight.

"Lacie March." He smiled. Lacie's throat dried, her palms froze over and she cowered into Johnny's frame. "Yes?" She cleared her throat, trying to sound less afraid than she already was.

Galactus didn't say anything, he just stared at her with a grin. Johnny looked over at the Silver Surfer and pointed at her, his other hand in front of Lacie still, "What did you mean when you said something has to happen to Lacie?"

Lacie's body tensed, "What?" Johnny's head turned and he looked at her with wide eyes, "She knows you." He looked back at the woman, "What's going to happen to Lacie?"

The Silver Surfer spared a glance at Galactus and understood his silence to be a confirmation to tell the Fantastic Five. She took a deep breath and looked down at the woman.

"In every universe, Lacie March dies at the hands of Galactus."

Lacie's heart dropped, "What?" She whispered, her voice coming out a lot quieter than she had intended.

Johnny stood still in front of her, his fingers twitching where they held her figure and sweat forming on his forehead. Sue shook her head, "So, what? You're saying that it's going to happen in this universe?"

Johnny tensed, "That's other Lacies. This one isn't going anywhere." He shook his head rapidly, trying to shake the idea of losing her out of his mind.

As the group fought between themselves, overstimulated with the new information they've been provided with, Lacie's eyes remained trained on the Silver Surfer who looked anywhere but herself.

"You're hiding something." Lacie stepped forward and felt Johnny follow her immediately, refusing to let her break out of his grip. The Silver Surfer looked at Frostbite guiltily, "Just tell me." Lacie demanded.

"You've just told me the probability that I'm going to die!" Lacie exclaimed, nerves flooding her body and hands shaking in Johnny's embrace, "So, we're laying everything on the line here. Tell me."

The Silver Surfer stayed silent for a moment and no one spoke, Lacie felt their stares but focused solely on the woman, practically begging her for the answers that sat on the tip of her tongue.

"Every other Galactus that has successfully killed Lacie March. They have ruled all." She spoke and Lacie felt like time froze as the next words fell from her mouth.

"Lacie March must die in this universe."

Lacie flinched, lips quivering as her fate was presented in front of her and taunting her. She couldn't feel her body, the world around her sounded muffled and she could see a pair of hands pull her back and against someone's chest. Their voices raised and pulled her out of her trance.

"So you're basing this off some fucking conspiracy?" Johnny shouted at the woman, "There's no proof that this Lacie is the catalyst for you ruling all!" 

Galactus revealed his eyes and homed in on Sue and Lacie, "It's enough for me to make my decision."

Johnny shoved Lacie behind his back as her limbs moved without her mind processing it. She couldn't look at anyone, she couldn't believe it. Her fate was decided for her before she even knew what it was.

Her train of thought was interrupted as Sue fell to her knees groaning and clutching her stomach. Lacie rushed over and placed her hands on Sue's shoulders, "What's happening?"

"The baby's coming." Sue grunted and leaned into Reed. "You will not have our planet! And you will never have our son!" Reed shouted and held his wife.

Lacie's body burned with anger, she had no insight into her life and it was dictated for her by Galactus. "No..." She mumbled under her breath and pushed past a protesting Johnny.

Frostbite flung her hands in the air and sent ice spiralling towards Galactus' exposed eyes, hoping he wouldn't see her movement fast enough and expose his vulnerability.

Unfortunately for Lacie, Galactus saw her movements from the corner of his eye and switched his gaze to her. Making eye contact with her ice, he flicked the particles back into Frostbite's direction, the contact coming directly into her outstretched hands.

Lacie jolted back as the ice collided with her, stumbling into Johnny as she felt the ice seep into her veins, travelling up her arms and into the dread lurking in her chest.

Johnny caught her before she fell to the ground, "Shit! Lace, are you okay?" He cupped her face and saw her flushed features, eyes darting around with furrowed brows.

"What's happening to me?" Lacie said, her voice thin as a chill creeped up her spine and spread down to her thighs, a stabbing pain taking over her body.

"Lace! Lace! Look at me." Johnny held onto her face, her body crumbling to the floor.

Reed watched from afar as he cradled his wife, his eyes wide as he assessed Lacie's situation, "Johnny!" He shouted and pulled the attention of the blonde.

"He's freezing her body from the inside." Reed swallows and Johnny swears he felt his heart stop.

Galactus rose, "I will eat your planet slowly. While your child watches."

Lacie's hands grabbed at her chest, "I can't breathe." She heaved out and tried to pull the helmet off her head before Johnny's hands pressed it back down harshly, "I'm sorry, Lace!"

She shook her head and took short breaths, begging Johnny to let her take it off. Johnny protested, "I know, I know. You can't take it off, Lace." He knew that if he let her, it would kill her quicker than the ice blocking her lungs right now.

Lacie felt the ice reach her face, the tips of her eyelashes coated in a frost and her nose a soft pink. She grabbed onto Johnny and tugged him close, her mouth wouldn't work due to trying to breath and her hands felt frozen, she was completely stuck and couldn't ask Johnny for help.

Ben shouted from beside Sue, "Johnny, help her!" He looked back with watery eyes, "I don't know how!"

"Use your body! You're the Human Torch, aren't you?" Ben shouted and Johnny swept Lacie up in his arms.

Johnny let his body go aflame and he pressed his chest against hers, one hand on the back of her head and the other under her legs. "I got you, Lace." He whispered and rested his forehead against her own, watching her lips turn a shade blue.

Johnny's body temperature melted the ice on the surface of her body. A short gasp from the back of Lacie's throat made Johnny confident that it was working and he tightened his grip on her figure, "You're gonna be okay." He mumbled, unsure whether it was to himself or her, or both.

Lacie's breathing regulated and her airways were no longer frozen over, her body returned to its normal temperature and Johnny slowly came down from his near supernova to protect his girl.

Frostbite threaded a hand through Johnny's blonde hair and dipped her head into his neck, mumbling endless thank yous and pressing soft kisses to his shoulder. Johnny closed his eyes and sighed in relief that she was still alive under his touch.

The pair looked at each other for a moment before Sue's groan made their heads snap towards her. Johnny stood with Lacie still in his arms, "We gotta go, Lace."

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authors note!

erm hey guys... that was a lot...

lacie ily and i'm very sorry i'm putting u through this except i've quite literally planned this from the beginning

lacie girl don't worry ur gonna be safe and fine! (she's not guys just smile and nod...)

ALSO cheeky clark kent fic called 'pucker up!' will be out once i finish this one so keep an eye out for that xxx

BYE and i hope u all enjoyed <333