Seeing Double

[Lucy Rogers]

"Yes ... no ... yes, I'm here ... Seriously, I'm right here, I'm standing outside the hospital right now!" A low laugh accompanied the slightly irate insistence of the young woman nattering away on her phone with someone she was obviously very familiar with. "Alright, so where are you? ... And they'll just let me in, will they?" She blew a breath up along the side of her own nose, huffing her fringe out of her eyes, and turned toward the street with a bright smile on her features. "Okay, I'll drop by later. Dinner, right? ... Brilliant. See you then ... Bye!"

The roar of a motorcycle engine was heard as Johnny approached the hospital. It wasn't his preferred form of transportation, but he'd learned long ago that a stream of fire streaking across the sky was more not the best way to maintain a low profile. Not that he cared about that necessarily, but more normal means of transportation tended to have less chance of attracting the wrong kind of attention. Besides, driving could be just as fun as flying, so long as you weren't driving a station wagon. Hell on wheels, as much as in the air, he didn't bother to slow the bike as he approached the hospital parking lot, instead jumping the curb onto the pavement and swerving into the lot, coming to a screeching halt and just missing a lightpost.

Just in the process of closing her phone and putting it back in her satchel, Lucy reared back instinctively as the motorcycle roared within inches of her. Shocked and not at all happy with the driver for putting her in danger as much as himself, she turned to stalk toward him, the length of her greatcoat flapping with each step.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, pointing insistently at the pavement in front of her as an unspoken order for him to dismount and come and be told off. "You could have killed me, you could have killed yourself! Do you have no respect for anyone else's right to continue living and be unharmed by your complete and utter idiocy?"

It had been a close call, sure, but he knew what he was doing, and it hadn't been that close, had it? Live on the edge, that was his motto. Grab life by the balls and... yeah. He climbed off the bike and pulled off his helmet, turning just in time to see and hear a girl yelling at him and accusing him of being reckless. Him, reckless? Never. His knee-jerk reaction was to ignore her rant and check her out. Blue eyes looked her up and down, halting on her face and those knock out eyes of hers. Despite her obvious irritation with him, he found himself whistling in appreciation.

The whistle pulled her up short, the reaction physical as her body swayed away; the eyes that had caught his attention blinked, and judging by the confusion in her expression, he'd manage to totally derail her line of thought just with that one action. Giving herself a little shake, Lucy stuffed her hands into her pockets, hoping like hell she wasn't blushing. "Yeah, well ..." She cleared her throat. "You're an idiot. I thought you should know that."

"I've been called worse," he admitted with a c*cky smirk on his face that rarely disappeared, unless he was in a serious mood, which he tried to avoid, if at all possible. He shoved his keys in his jacket, switching hands to tuck his helmet under his left arm, and holding out a hand to introduce himself. "I'm Johnny, and you are?"

"Annoyed," was Lucy's answer, too aware that she was just on the cusp of blushing because a cute, if foolish, man had wolf-whistled her. "And about to be late, so if you don't mind ..." Her ponytail flipped him off as she turned abruptly, biting at her lips as she marched toward the hospital building. She had an assessment to complete today before being accepted for her residency, which meant she was going to have to spend a couple of hours triaging to impress the consultant in charge of the junior doctors. Doing that on top of a slightly embarrassed reaction to being almost knocked down and becoming a patient was not going to be fun.

He snickered at her answer, a little amused at her annoyance, finding her kind of cute. "Nice to meet you, Annoyed..." And then she was flipping her ponytail at him and storming off toward the hospital. "W-wait!" he called after her, hurrying to catch up, coming up alongside her as she marched her way toward the building. As it happened he was going the same way. "Do you work here? Are you a nurse?" He could hope anyway.

[Lucy Rogers]

Lucy's jaw set in a tight line as she realised he was following her, wondering just what he was at the hospital for. Knowing her luck, it was a psychiatric consultation. "No, I'm not a nurse," she told him, her irritation showing in her voice. "I'm not patient enough for that. Why are you following me?"

He chuckled at the pun she probably didn't even realize she'd just made. "Patient. That's a good one. Okay, so you're not a nurse. Let me guess." He turned around to walk backwards, so he could face her, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm..." He looked her over again, trying to get a sense for where she might fit into the hospital setting, as if this was a game of Twenty Questions. "Social worker?"

Lucy came to a halt as he walked about in front of her, one brow rising at his suggestion of what else she might do that would bring her to a hospital. "Really?" she asked, slightly offended. "I look like a social worker, do I?" It wasn't that social work was a bad vocation, but they generally didn't get mixed up with doctors, in her experience. "What brings you here? Do you have an appointment for your monthly medication?"

He came to a halt as she did, chuckling again, this time at her little insinuation. He tilted his head a little sideways as he looked her over again. "Actually, you kinda look like a cross between a librarian and a waitress, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess med student." He was practically bouncing on his feet, feeling either hyper or restless or both. "Am I right?"

This time, he got a faint smile from her. The irritation was giving way to amusement at his persistance, much to her chagrin. Rolling her eyes, Lucy heard herself laugh a little, side-stepping him to continue on her way through the doors. "Not a student, no," she told him with a chuckle. "And you can't follow me anymore. Staff Only." Her finger pointed to the sign just as she passed through the doors and into the staff corridor.

"Not a student... Okay, but I was close, right? So, you're... an intern... No, a resident!" He paused momentarily at the door, watching her for a split second before brashly following her inside. ""Tell you what... Meet me for coffee later and I'll leave you be."

It was just as well she'd stopped before going into the ladies' changing room - he probably wouldn't have survived going in there. At a bit of a loss as to how to get rid of him now, Lucy paused, looking up at her personal shadow in consternation. "Alright, where?" she asked him, giving up for the time being. "And when? I've got plans this evening."

A small frown momentarily flickered across his face, thinking she probably had a boyfriend, or maybe a whole slew of boyfriends, but the frown didn't last long. He brightened at her acceptance of his proposal, even if it was just to humor him. It was a start. "I'm gonna be here for a while. Do you get a lunch break?"

She sighed, her smile proving that she really had given in as she stepped aside for someone in scrubs to push between them. "I'm only here for a couple of hours," she admitted finally. "Assessment today, I haven't actually started working here yet."

He smiled. Even better. "Perfect. I shouldn't be here long either. How about I meet you in the lobby in, say..." He glanced at his wristwatch a moment. He was going to be late, too, but he wasn't going to hurry this. "When is good for you? Two hours? Three?"

She rubbed her forehead, tilting up her other hand until she could see the watch face on her inner wrist. "Two and half," she suggested ruefully. "About half eleven, does that work for you? Unless you want me to get changed for you, in which case you need to make that half twelve."

"Oh, I think it's a bit too soon for lingerie, don't you? Let's leave something for a second date." He smirked and backed toward the door. "I'll see you at 11:30, Annoyed." He snap pointed at her, winking, and turning just before she could catch a hint the hint of flame at his fingertips. She might have noticed his hand was a bit warmer than normal. "Got a date with an angel," he crooned to himself. "Gotta meet her at seven..." And out the door he went to go around to the main entrance.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy leaned against the door, letting herself into the changing room. How on earth did you go to your first day of work and end up with a date before you'd even started? Liv had mentioned that Rhy'Din was an odd place, but Lucy hadn't thought that it was this odd.

[Lucy Rogers]

Two hours and twenty minutes later, she was freed from the severe eye of the consultant in chief, changed back into her civvies, and waiting awkwardly in the lobby, wondering what on earth she was doing. "He's probably not even going to show up," she muttered to herself. "I am such an idiot."

Despite all the crap in life, fighting bad guys, getting the crap beat out of you, going far away from home, feeling like an oddball, and on and on, there was one thing in life that made it all worthwhile and that was women. Well, that and adventure. Both was even better. 11:30 rolled around and Johnny wasn't there yet.

Lucy walked out of the hospital lobby into the winter sunshine, peering at her watch anxiously. Ten minutes, she decided. She'd give him ten minutes, and if he hadn't showed up by then, she would likely never see him again, so it wouldn't matter if she wasn't there or not.

Five minutes later, the elevator doors swished opened and among the small throng to exit was Johnny, being pushed down the hallway in a wheelchair by a pretty nurse with blond hair and green eyes, who was giggling a little too loudly. He had a smile on his face, but looked just a little ashen.

She caught the sight of him through the main doors, frowning in surprise, and marched back into the hospital without a second thought. "What the hell happened to you?" Lucy asked Johnny, offering a slightly jealous nod to the nurse who was pushing him along.

The nurse darted a slightly shy smile at the other woman as she rolled him into the lobby. "Passed out," she explained. "Doesn't like the sight of needles." She glanced from Lucy to Johnny. "Will you be okay now, Mr. Storm?" She looked a little more concerned than necessary.

"I'm fine, thanks, Trixie." He pushed himself up out of the wheelchair, looking just a little bit pale and shaken. He felt silly for passing out, but hey, at least, he had a pretty nurse to fuss over him.

Lucy's brow rose as she looked between Johnny and Trixie, catching on to what kind of man he was. He was a flirt, and a womaniser, and he probably wouldn't be too bothered if she had stood him up. Her lips curved into a faint smirk; she knew exactly how to deal with men like this. "Is he discharged, Trixie?" she asked curiously. "Only you should probably sit with him a little longer - I have a quick phone call to make."

Trixie nodded her head. "He said he was meeting someone. I assume that's you?" The tiniest hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I'm right here," he reminded the two of them. He was already out of the wheelchair, his helmet held in one hand. He only swayed a little. He had, in fact, flirted with the nurse a little, innocently, but it wasn't Trixie he'd asked for coffee and he'd been worried he'd miss his date with "Annoyed". "I'm fine," he reassured them both. "Stop fussing." Though he secretly liked the attention.

"Yes, that's me," Lucy nodded, her own jealousy well hidden now that she had decided how she was going to deal with him. She smiled at Trixie brightly, deliberately ignoring Johnny's slightly put out reassurance. "Please, just a little longer. I won't be more than ten minutes." She glanced at Johnny, her expression daring him to object before she skipped out of the hospital again, pulling her phone from her bag. Liv had better pick up this time.

He sighed and dropped into a chair, feeling a little more woozy than he originally thought. "She hates me," he grumbled to himself, pouting as he set the helmet in his lap and rested his chin on a propped up fist. The nurse frowned. "Would it help if I gave you my phone number?" she asked innocently.

[Lucy Rogers]

It was, in fact, only a few minutes before Lucy returned, feeling a lot happier in herself now that she had a real plan decided upon. "Sorry about that," she apologised to them both, finally looking at Johnny. "My plans for tonight just fell through, if you're feeling too woozy to get a coffee now." She glanced at Trixie. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry ... am I interrupting something?"

He pouted, his male ego wounded by both passing out and having someone walk out on him. He was about to answer Trixie when Lucy returned and he lost the opportunity to get her phone number, if that was what he was going to do. He looked between the two women, trying to sort out what was going on or maybe trying to choose between them. "No, you're not interrupting, and no, I'm not too woozy."

Trixie smiled and wiggled her fingers at him. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Storm." And off she went with the wheelchair, putting a little more wiggle in her wobble than was necessary. He quirked a brow at the nurse before turning back to Lucy. Trixie was unconcerned. She'd already stuck her phone number in his jacket pocket when he wasn't looking.

"My, my, Mr Storm," the brunette resident chuckled as she looked up at him. "You have had a busy morning, haven't you?" Warm brown eyes twinkled with amusement. "Did you fake the faint for the female attention, or are you genuinely afraid of needles?"

"I thought faking it was a female thing," he quipped. He couldn't have faked fainting if he'd wanted to and he certainly hadn't wanted to. The attention he didn't mind so much, but he bristled a little at the suggestion he'd done it on purpose. "I don't like needles."

"Mmhmm, of course," she giggled quietly, deliberately putting a little teasing scorn into the sound, just enough to make him bristle further. "So where are we going, Mr Storm?"

"The hospital cafeteria have any coffee?" He wasn't really feeling like getting back on his bike just yet. He might be brash and reckless, but he wasn't stupid. That suggestion alone should tell her that he wasn't faking it.

"Yes, I think so," she nodded, her smile calming to something a little more natural. She knew enough to be able to spot a faker this close up, and he was definitely looking a little green around the gills still. "Or at least something that passes for coffee in a pinch. Can you walk, or should I find you another wheelchair?" Now that was definitely a tease, and a blatant one at that.

"I can walk," he told her, somewhat defensively, smirking a little then as he looked up at her, teasing. "Unless you'd like to wheel me to an examination room and give me a checkup. No needles though. I'm all needled out."

"Ah, sadly, I'm not on duty right now," she sighed mockingly, offering him a laugh as she turned toward the main corridor. "C'mon then. My name's Lucy, by the way. Or Olivia, depending on who you talk to." Her eyes flickered with laughter that could have just been innocent amusement at her odd naming policy. "And you're Johnny, who flirts with pretty much anything remotely female and has a remarkably high ambient temperature."

"Uh..." He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that right off. He got to his feet, looking steadier, his color looking better. Why did he find her so disconcerting? Usually he'd just bounce back with some kind of c*cky remark or another, but she had somehow knocked him off kilter. "Who are you today? Lucy or Olivia?" He got the feeling she was teasing him, but he wasn't quite sure. He thought over her assessment of him before replying. "Not anything. I mean, I have my standards." Low as they were.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," she chuckled, looking over her shoulder at him as he rose to follow her. "Let me guess ... they mustn't be fat, wear glasses, or have unsightly body hair." Her grin was almost evil as she offered up this tease. "Oh, and preferably have a slightly lower than average intelligence and self esteem, because confident, educated women are harder to get into bed."

[Lucy Rogers]

He bristled a little again as he followed after her, not moving quite as quickly as he had before, but he'd make a fast enough recovery. "I wouldn't go that far. Glasses are cute on some girls. Besides, if all I wanted was to get someone into bed, I'd have asked Trixie for coffee, instead of you." So there. What do you have to say to that, Miss Smarty Pants? Note he made no comment about the unslightly body hair because, well, he preferred his women without a moustache or underarm hair. He was weird like that.

"You'd have been disappointed," was Lucy's laughing reply as she led him through a door and into the quadrilateral courtyard at the centre of the tall tower blocked hospital. "She was working - you wouldn't have gotten coffee out of her until at least half three, and if she was on a long day, that would make it ten o'clock tonight. So you enjoy the thrill of the chase, do you?"

"The thrill of the chase?" Now, there was a question, depending on which chase they were talking about. He didn't really consider himself to be the settling down type. His life wasn't really conducive to that, or so he thought, and he was having way too much fun to get too tied down, but he was human and he got lonely sometimes, especially far from home. But none of that answered her question. He shrugged. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Well, that really depends on whether you're the one chasing, or the one being chased, doesn't it?" Taking pity on him, Lucy slowed to walk beside him, offering an arm if he felt the need to lean on her. "I used to enjoy being chased. Hasn't happened for a good long while, though. Too busy to notice."

He arched a curious brow. Was she offering him an arm? He didn't feel he really needed it, but what the heck. An offered arm was an offered arm. He wondered if she was toying with him or just being nice, but decided to just wait and see how it played out. He leaned into her arm, his body heat obviously warmer than a normal human's. "Too busy working on your career?" The question was a serious one.

"Mmhmm," she nodded, glancing down at his arm on hers with a faint frown of curiosity as the heat from his body radiated easily through his coat and hers. "You run hot, don't you? And yes, I went from airhead to straight As in four years and then went straight to uni to study medicine. You don't really have much time for a social life as a student doctor."

You don't have much time for a social life as a superhero either, he thought, which was probably why he burned through one relationship after another, not to make a pun. "My Dad was a doctor," he told her spontaneously, wishing he hadn't mentioned it as soon as it had come out of his mouth.

"Really?" He'd caught her attention with that comment, common ground she hadn't been expecting to come out of his mouth. "Of medicine, or of some other discipline?" As she asked, her head tilted toward his, intrigued by him despite her full intention to teach him a lesson against using women up for his own enjoyment.

"He was a surgeon." He quieted a moment, not really wanting to talk about his father of all things. "So, what made you decide to get into medicine?" he asked, turning the tables back on her. He made no explanation about his hotblooded temperature, afraid she might decide she'd rather experiment on him than get to know him.

"Well, it started out as wanting to prove a point to my family," she admitted with a faint laugh, reaching out to open the door into the cafeteria. "They'd decided that I was never going to amount to much and they made no attempt to hide it. So I turned things around and decided I would go for the most difficult career path I could think of. But I do enjoy medicine, a great deal." Realising she was talking quite a lot about herself, Lucy looked up at Johnny with a frown. "What about you, what do you do?"

[Lucy Rogers]

There was another good question and one he didn't have a very good answer for. What was he supposed to tell her? I'm a superhero? Even if she believed him, which he thought she probably wouldn't, she'd probably think he was being a braggart. It wouldn't be the first time he'd used his superpowers to impress a woman, but somehow he didn't want to get to do that this time. "I'm looking for work, actually. I haven't been here very long, and I'm still trying to get settled."

"Well, I'd offer to help, but I haven't been here long either," Lucy shrugged, avoiding the queue at the counter to head straight for the coffee machines. "Just a couple of days. Did you want coffee, or tea, or something else?" Her head tipped back, attentive eyes on his as she smiled.

"Coffee's fine, and I asked you, so it's my treat." He returned the smile, taking a look around a moment to make sure no one was watching and then he bumped the machine, hitting it just so that it spit out a cup of coffee without having to pay. He seemed to think nothing of this and nonchalantly continued his line of questioning. "You sound English. From Earth? Not my Earth, I'm betting."

Lucy's jaw dropped with incredulous amusement as he bumped the machine, laughing aloud at how shameless he was about it. "I, um ... Yes, I'm English," she told him with a chuckle. "And you realising that means you are American, I assume?"

"New York." The accent sounded like a northeastern American accent, but not the harsh accent of the Bronx. From the accent alone, it would be hard to tell exactly where he came from, but it was definitely an American accent. He handed her the cup of coffee, just so he had his hands free. "What would you like?"

"An honest answer without being evasive?" she suggested cheerfully, lifting the coffee cup in her hand to her lips for a sip. "I thought I had the coffee you promised me. Or am I taking advantage of your sweet and generous nature?"

He laughed. "I'm not sure I have one." In all honesty, he did, but he didn't want it to get around. "Keep it. I'll get another." His head swiveled again to make sure no one was watching and he repeated the jolt to the machine, only this time the damned thing started squirting coffee everywhere but into a cup. "Oops." He snagged her arm and headed for a table before someone noticed what he'd done.

Pulled away, Lucy giggled at the guilty retreat, sliding down into a seat as she put the coffee on the table. "I suppose we're sharing, then?" she asked, not at all concerned with being caught having vandalised hospital property.

He settled himself on a chair and waved a hand at her, dismissing the coffee. "Enjoy it. I'm okay." He cast a somewhat guilty glance at the spewing coffee machine and then back to her. "So, what brings you to Rhy'Din?"

The answering of that question took a while, and from there they wandered into further small talk. Lucy was a little surprised to find herself fully engaged with everything Johnny had to say, despite her irritation with him on their first meeting. The more they spoke, the more she realised that he was redeemable, if given the right kind of lesson in how to behave around women. Her smile flickered into a faint smirk - there were times when being an identical twin came in very handy indeed.

[size=9]((Thanks to Johnny's player for this scene!))[/size]

[Lucy Rogers]

[size=9]A day or so later ...[/size]

... precaution, current guidelines recommend that pregnant women undergo MRI only when essential. This is particularly the case during the first trimester of pregnancy, as organogenesis takes place during this period. The concerns in pregnancy are the same as for MRI in general ...

Lucy sighed, drawing her feet up beneath her on the couch as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. It was at times like these, when her sister was out and about and she was stuck inside reading some massive textbook, that she felt the weight of her choice to become a doctor. She wasn't due to start work at the hospital for another two weeks, waiting for the next intake of residents to join her impatient malingering in and around the city, so to pass the time, she had decided to try and catch up on the advances in various fields. Why she'd thought radiology was a good place to start, she might never know.

A buzzing sound drew her eyes from the large book on her lap to her cell phone on the table as it vibrated its way toward imminent death at the hands of the hard wooden floor. Reaching out, she caught it as it wobbled on the edge of the table, reading the message from Olivia, her twin sister.

[size=9]AM IN RDI. JSTORM FLIRTING WITH GIRLS. WHAT DO I DO?[/size]

She laughed as she read this. Lucy hadn't actually thought that Liv would go out of her way to find Johnny, only that her twin might be conducive toward teaching the handsome womaniser not to play with women and expect no reprisals. But Liv was there now, so it was a golden opportunity to let her sister play at being her, as well as form her own opinion of the young man Lucy had taken a shine to.

[size=9]GO TALK TO HIM.[/size]

The phone buzzed in her hand as she sent this, setting the device on the arm of her chair as she turned her eyes back to her reading. She couldn't help wondering whether Johnny would guess that Liv wasn't her, and if he did, what his reaction would be. What Liv would think of him after an hour in his company. As it turned out, an hour was when Liv decided she'd had enough of Johnny's company. Lucy's phone buzzed again.

[size=9]HE WANTS TO TALK. ARE GOING FOR WALK IN PARK. BE HERE.[/size]

Lucy stared at the message for a long moment, feeling her heartbeat quicken. What the hell did Liv think she was doing? Did she really want to swap over in the middle of a meeting with the guy? What if Johnny caught them? The young doctor was momentarily horrified by the thought of the cheeky, c*cky Johnny Storm catching the twins as they tag-teamed him.

But ... he wanted to talk? And if Liv wasn't comfortable with that idea, then that must mean that he'd gone serious on her and she didn't think she was the one he should be talking to. Lucy frowned a moment longer and sighed, heaving herself up and out of her comfortable sprawl on the couch. The geeky half of the Broderick twins was annoyingly right when it came to things like this.

A few minutes later, Lucy was bouncing on her toes in the ladies toilets located in the park, tapping out a message to let her sister know where she was. The lights in the place were off, leaving her shivering in darkness, not particularly looking forward to the quick change that was coming up. A minute or two later, she heard footsteps crunching in the snow, and her sister's voice asking a question that made her wince.

"Have you ever had a monogamous relationship?" Liv was asking sharply, her voice growing louder as the couple drew nearer. "Ever been faithful to just one girl for more than one night?"

"That's a little personal, don't you think?" Johnny sounded slightly put out by the question, but at the same time a little defensive. "I warned you, didn't I? Play with fire and you get burned."

"Oh, that's right, Liv," Lucy muttered to herself, rubbing her hands together to stave off the cold. "Upset him just before you run away, thanks a bunch."

Her sister's parting shot, however, was a little more mature than Lucy had come to expect from her twelve-minutes-elder-twin. "Flirting and what it leads to is more than a little personal itself." Lucy heard Liv excuse herself, and moments later, the two women were hurriedly shedding their clothes, swapping boots, pants, tops as quickly as they possibly could without making too much noise.

With any luck, Johnny wouldn't be able to tell the difference when Lucy stepped out to join him.

[Lucy Rogers]

It was just as well Johnny couldn't see or hear what was going on inside the toilets. He might have spontaneously combusted at the sight of both Liv and Lucy dancing about in their underwear, swapping their clothing as quickly as they could while Liv filled Lucy in on the evening so far.

"And you're sure he doesn't suspect anything?" Lucy asked as she wrapped her sister's scarf about her neck. Liv shook her head, shivering as she slid her arms into the warm coat her twin had brought out.

"Not a thing. But get out there quick, he's gone melancholy. You might get something true out of him tonight."

A minute later - not more than three minutes since Liv had stepped into the toilets - Lucy stepped out. Her foot found a patch of ice on the steps, and she made a spectacular entrance back into Johnny's immediate vicinity as her legs went out from under her, sending her plummetting toward the snow on the path where he paced with a loud yelp.

Startled by her sudden sprawl on the snow, his first reaction wasn't to laugh but to come immediately to her rescue, moving faster than a normal human was able, heightened reflexes. He wasn't quick enough to catch her, but he was there beside her to help her up a split second after she'd fallen. "You all right?" he asked, obviously concerned.

"Ow." But the little complaint was covered with laughter as she looked up at him, raising her hands in a silent plea to be helped up. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Lucy giggled, shaking her head cheerfully. "What a way to make a good impression."

The snow around them was melting just from his near proximity to it, heat coming off him in palpable waves. He hauled her easily to her feet, smiling a little at her giggle. "You already made a good impression on me. You don't really have to make another."

"Well, telling you off to the point where you get grumpy isn't exactly making a good second impression, is it?" she countered with a smile. Standing with him, she let herself notice how hot he was, how warm his hands were under hers. "You're so hot," Lucy murmured in fascination. "Are you ill, or is this normal?"

He realized he was still holding her up, a little longer than necessary, and he hesitated before backing away, frowning a little. He was going to have to come clean sooner or later. More likely sooner. He couldn't help but smirk and give her a smart alecky remark. "Thanks for noticing. You're hot, too." Her question could be answered in so many different ways. What was normal for him wasn't normal at all. What was normal anymore? He'd slipped back into his sarcastic nature, more out of habit than anything else.

"Oh, you c*cky sod," she laughed in answer, much more relaxed in his presence than Liv had been. This little deception of theirs was going to fall flat on its face if Liv didn't loosen up soon. Lucy had always been the more confident of the pair, though, and it showed in how easily she had gotten over her initial irritation with Johnny in the first place. "That's not what I meant, and you know it." She didn't let him back too far away, insinuating her hand into his as she turned to take the path that led deep into the gloom of the snowy park.

He made no attempt to withdraw his hand away from hers. She was going to find out the truth one way or another, and it was better she found out from him than from some advertisement that went up about his show or some article about the Avengers in the news. He turned serious, which for him, was not an easy feat. The sarcasm and cocky attitude were a defense mechanism he used to hide his true self from the world at llarge. "It's a long story, Luce, and you probably won't like it."

"Why wouldn't I like it?" she asked quietly, stepping to walk close beside him, taking full advantage of the warmth that radiated from him to keep herself warm in the chill of the evening. "One thing I have learned about this place is that nothing is ever what it seems. So unless you're some kind of volcanic villain who wants to busy me in pyroclastic flows under the guise of sex, I doubt you could send me running." Her smile was faint, but gentle. "You're a good guy, Johnny, whether you believe it or not. And it doesn't hurt that you're also pretty damn sexy."

[Lucy Rogers]

That didn't hurt his ego a bit, but it didn't stop him from worrying she'd think him a freak or that being with him could get her hurt. He frowned and led her over to a park bench where he drew her down beside him and looked out on the snowladen trees sparkling around them. He used to like the snow, once upon a time. Where should he begin? "I'm... different, Luce."

Drawn down to sit beside him, Lucy still didn't let much distance open the space between them. Without moving around, she was going to get colder faster, which was why Johnny ended up with her pressed close against his side, her chin resting on his shoulder as he spoke. "Everyone's unique, Johnny," she murmured. "Just tell me."

He seemed to sense that she was getting chilly and drew an arm around her to keep her warm, his body temperature abnormally high. She'd be feeling toasty in no time. The easiest way was to tell her was to just show her. Odd how he had no compunction about showing off in the inn, but when faced with someone he actually... That was the problem, wasn't it? He actually cared what she thought of him, for some reason, he realized. "Not unique. Different." He paused a moment to consider his words. "Promise I won't become a science project?"

She snorted with laughter, nestling close as his arm wrapped about her shoulders. Lucy didn't pretend to understand how he was still standing and coherent with a natural body temperature that was so high, but she was prepared to take full advantage of it. "I'm a doctor, not an evil scientist," she smiled. "I took an oath to help, not harm."

"Right." He'd heard that before, but not from her. Bottom line was, did he trust her? He had to admit that - and he wasn't sure why - he did trust her, though he hardly knew her. He raised an arm, curling his fingers to make a fist, watching his own hand, focusing his attention on what he was doing, though he could do this in his sleep. And suddenly, his hand was enveloped in flames.

The sudden eruption of flame made her jump, a startled gasp ripped from her throat as she lurched back from the unexpected flicker of fire so close to her face. "Oh my ... oh my god, doesn't that hurt?" she heard herself ask, her astonished gaze flickering between his burning hand and his focused expression.

He didn't just create a tiny flame like he did when he was showing off, but let her see the flame that covered his entire hand. He had the flames completely under control. Though startled she might be, she was in no danger of being hurt. He immediately doused the flames, and they disappeared as quickly as they'd appeared. "No, it doesn't hurt. Not anymore."

Her fingers reached to take his hand in hers, her fingertips stroking over every inch of his palm and knuckles, checking him for any sign of burns or even additional heat from his skin. Yet his words were what caught her attention, the way he reassured her biting deep. Her eyes lifted to his face, a deeply concerned frown furrowing her brow. "But it used to," she said softly, releasing his hand gently as her eyes searched his face. "How long?"

It had been nine years, give or take, but it seemed like yesterday. Nine years to learn control and mastery over his abilities, so no one but him would ever get hurt, like they had once. "There was an accident, when I was sixteen. My DNA was altered and... I ended up like this. I know it sounds crazy."

Lucy had no idea what to say. How on earth could she offer any kind of opinion or reassurance to someone whose experience of life was so far detached from her own? "It doesn't sound that crazy," she heard herself say softly. "I met a man at the hospital today who can absorb other people's injuries into himself and heal them. Setting yourself on fire isn't as insane as that." She shook her head, twisting to look up at him. "Would ... would it be really rude of me to ask if you could ... show me again?"

There was something in his eyes, some hidden pain or regret, something he tried to keep hidden so no one else would see, but it was there, buried deep. "Luce, I can envelop my whole body in flames like that. I'm a walking Zippo lighter."

[Lucy Rogers]

She eyed him thoughtfully, looking him up and down for a long moment before responding. "But obviously you have it under control now," she murmured quietly as a distressing thought occurred to her. Acting on impulse, she rose from where she sat beside him to place herself firmly in his lap, her hands rising to cradle his face as she gazed into his eyes. "Anything that happened before you learned how to control this amazing gift of yours ... it's not your fault."

Blue eyes lifted to hers, unable to hide that pain from her, an old memory, a promise he'd made to himself to never lose control of his abilities again. What was it about her that could draw him out like this, could see so deeply into him? "I know," he admitted. Was it a gift or a curse? He still wasn't quite sure. He'd come to accept it, but there were days when he wished he was just a regular guy. "I've worked hard to learn to control it. Back home, some think I'm a hero, but... I'm just trying to do what's right."

"And you should be proud of that control. Very proud." And if I wasn't such a coward now when it comes to men, I'd kiss you, she added in the silence of her mind, the momentary flirtatiousness flickering in her eyes before she suppressed it. It was time to lighten the mood - he was more comfortable with levity than solemnity. "You must be in a lot of demand when it comes to wilderness camping trips," she added with a teasing flicker to her expression.

He snorted. "Yeah, the Human Torch. You don't need flint when I'm around." He was both serious and sarcastic at the same time, poking fun at his own abilities, as if they really didn't matter. "Maybe I should rent myself out. I can roast a weinie in record time."

Her teasing smile flickered to a frown. "Don't do that," she told him firmly. "So you're different. You're not that different. You're still a man who enjoys women so much he can't stop himself from flirting and handing out kisses to every pretty face he sees - that's not so unusual. Besides, who wants to be normal? Believe me, it's hard work and incredibly boring."

He arched a brow, wondering if she really knew why he was the way he was, if she could really see through the thin facade. "You asked if I was ever in a monogamous relationship. The answer is yes, but..." He paused to take a breath before continuing, frowning a little. "It didn't end well."

Lucy was silent for a long moment, chewing on her lower lip as her hands slipped from his cheeks to lay over his jacket. "So this is all about self-sacrifice, is it?" she asked rather pointedly. "You're protecting one member of the female population from yourself by sleeping with all the others?" It was a slightly vulgar way of putting it, but some things needed to be vulgar to make the right impact.

He hadn't thought of it that way exactly, but she was partially right. "Getting attached... It's... dangerous. I've got a lot of enemies and..." He broke off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded, even to himself. "I've never found anyone who could put up with me or who was willing to take the risk." That was also partially true. "I like you, Lucy. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Johnny, you should listen to yourself," Lucy told him with a faint smile. "Putting up with you would require you making an effort not to be difficult to put up with, for a start. And as long as you're honest with the woman you're growing attached to, it's her choice whether she takes the risk or not. You can only be honest, you can't make people's minds up for them." His addendum made her blink, slightly surprised - and a little hurt -that he seemed to have decided so soon that she was likeable but not kissable. Interesting. "I'm a big girl, Johnny Storm. A little pain would be worth it, for the right person."

God, even Spiderman had Mary Jane. He had no one. Not in years. Oh, she was certainly kissable. He was just afraid to do it. Funny how it was so much easier to kiss a stranger, a girl whose name he hadn't even known. He sighed and frowned again. He wasn't going to kiss her until she knew what she was getting herself into. "Do you know what brought me to Rhy'Din?"

"Well, you haven't told me yet, so no," she answered truthfully, lifting her feet to rest them on the bench beside him. She'd almost forgotten she was in his lap, ridiculously comfortable and yes, toasty warm even with snow tumbling down over them.

[Lucy Rogers]

He wasn't supposed to tell anyone. It was supposed to be a secret, but it was ridiculous. He'd already been seen in action outside the inn. He'd made no secret of it. It was only a matter of time before his identity became known and his connection with the Avengers, but explaining to someone sounded ludicrious. "This..." He snapped his fingers, producing a much smaller but just as potent flame. "My life is a comic book." Literally.

Comic books were not something that had been a huge influence on Lucy's life thus far. She had little to base her mental imagery on as he tried to explain to her what his reasons for being here were. "I'm assuming when you say comic book, you're not referring to Peanuts or the Beano."

"No." He was being facetious about the comic book reference. He was aware there were alternate realities where his life had been made into a comic book, for him, it was all too real. It was all so complicated, and he wished it wasn't. He closed his hand and the flame disappeared. "I'm a superhero." God, it sounded so presumptuous to say it. He wasn't trying to brag about it, but tell her the truth.

To her credit, she didn't laugh. She didn't even smile, although her expression became a little tight as she forced the expression to stay beneath the surface. What did you say in answer to that? "Um ... do you have a sidekick, or are you a one-man show?"

"Haha, very funny." He didn't look amused. "The next time I try to be honest and tell someone the truth, remind me not to bother." He would have gotten up, but she was on his lap and he didn't want to spill her onto the snow. Instead, he only turned his head away so she wouldn't see the hurt expression on his face. "I guess I know now why Clark never told Lois he was Superman."

"Oh, Johnny ..." She let her smile show, her fingers stroking against his cheek before trying to guide his eyes back to hers, her head ducking to find his gaze once more. "Don't be so defensive. Think about it from my point of view - where I come from, superheroes are comic books and films. I'm sorry I laughed ... but I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Truly."

He slipped his arms beneath her and scooped her off his lap to set her down on the bench beside her. "I knew you wouldn't believe me." For some reason, he seemed to think she either didn't believe him or was making fun of him or both. He'd been through this before, and it was like a knee jerk reaction, but there was one way to make her believe him and that was to simply show her what he was capable of. He moved to his feet, backing away from her, and holding out a hand warning her silently not to get close.

Lucy frowned, confused and a little hurt herself by his willful refusal to see what she actually meant when she said it clearly. Rising to her feet, she backed up as he did, curling her arms about herself as she shivered in the sudden cold on her body. "What did I say, what's wrong?"

The pain on his face was evident and it wasn't even her anymore he was annoyed with. It was his whole damned life. He was starting to feel something for her and he knew it was dangerous for them both. There was only one way to make her understand and that was to show her. "Flame on!" he shouted, and immediately he was engulfed in flames, from head to toe, his clothing melting away, the Human Torch in all his glory. "This is what I am, Lucy. A freak." And with that said, he took off, soaring into the sky, like a meteor going in the wrong direction.

As the white hot flame eneveloped him, Lucy started violently, lurching back hard enough to fall into the snow, staring at him with wide eyes. If only he'd seen what was going through her mind at that moment ... In her eyes, his flaming form was beautiful. And then he was gone.

Fury dripped through her suddenly, pushing herself up onto her feet to yell after him as he sped off. "Oh yes, that's right, run away, you big brave man!" she shouted, her hands clenched by her sides. "Sod that fact that I'm going to freeze out here without you - you protect your delicate sensibilities and be alone the rest of your natural life, you coward!"

He couldn't hear her - her voice wasn't loud enough to carry far through the night, her shivering already taking hold. She kicked at the snow, turning to make her way back to the apartment she shared with her sister. "Bastard man," she muttered to herself. "Coward. Stupid, sexy idiot."

He wasn't sure where he was going but he'd fly around for a while, trying to burn off the pain and the loneliness. He'd let her get to him. That was his first mistake. He had to be alone for a while and sort things out, even though he didn't really want to be alone. The only ones who seemed to understand were others like him, but he hadn't let any of them get close either, and he was far away from home, far away from those who understood him and cared about him. There were times when being the Human Torch sucked and this was one of them.

[size=9]((Again, huge thanks to Johnny's player!))[/size]

[Lucy Rogers]

[size=9]A few days and a phone call later ...[/size]

Johnny and his bike arrived at the Marketplace right on time for a change. He was dressed casually, wearing jeans and a tshirt, a leather jacket over top of that and a helmet. He was on his third leather jacket since he'd arrived, two of the previous jackets having gone up in flames. He went through more clothes that way. It was annoying. It had taken him a few days to work up the nerve to give Lucy a call, convinced she wouldn't want anything to do with him, but offering to try again and telling her if she was interested to meet him in the marketplace later that day. He wasn't really expecting much, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. At any rate, he'd have his answer.

Lucy was already there, walking around and around the fountain to fill the time, her hands pressed deep into her own leather jacket. The fluttering hem of her top was visible under the waistband of the leather, stroking over the blue denim of her jeans - thankfully she had remembered the motorbike. It had been Liv who had talked her into returning Johnny's call and agreeing to the date; her sister had spent an informative fifteen minutes reminding Lucy that she wouldn't have embarked on any of this if she didn't like the man, and she wasn't the type to give up after one relatively small hiccup. Blowing her fringe out of her eyes, she turned as the motorcycle pulled up, a nervous smile curving her lips. "Um ... hello, Johnny."

The bike came to a halt nearby, close enough for her to know it was him, but far enough away that there was no chance of him hitting her. He could be reckless at times, but not generally when someone else's life was involved. He flipped the visor up on his helmet, blue eyes smiling, as she couldn't see his mouth, pleased she'd apparently decided to give him another chance. "Hello yourself. How do you feel about going for a little ride?"

She made no attempt to hide how her smile deepened at his question, unabashed by how quickly her mind leapt toward the naughty end of the spectrum. "I don't think it would be that little," she offered by way of reassurance, moving closer to where he perched on his bike. "Do you have a spare helmet, or am I trusting you with my life?" Her brown eyes twinkled with gently teasing amusement as she spoke, hoping he wouldn't taking it the wrong way.

He chuckled at her remark, caught a little off guard by her obvious flirtation. "I've had no complaints, but I was talking about a ride on the bike... for now." He turned around and tugged an extra helmet off the back of the bike and held it out to her. "Better safe than sorry." He made no comment for now on whether or not she could trust him with her life. That question hit a little too close to home.

"Mmm," she sounded impressed as she took the helmet, studying it for a moment before ramming the thing onto her head with brutal force. "Were you a Boy Scout by any chance?" she asked, her voice somewhat muffled by the way the action of getting the helmet on had drawn her dark hair tight over her face.

He leaned toward her, while straddling the bike, to adjust the way the helmet was perched on her head, making sure it was securely in place, chuckling at her question. "No, not a Boy Scout. Why do you ask? Because I'm prepared?"

"Mmhmm." She smiled, her head tilted up to let him adjust the strap under her chin. "Or are you going to puncture my childish delusions about the Boy Scouts' teenage education system now?" Lucy giggled softly, slightly embarrassed by her own blatant flirting as her hand laid on his shoulder. "You want me pillion, right?"

"Pillion..." He smirked at her behind the helmet, blue eyes darting to hers. "We call it the b*tch seat back home, but I guess pillion would be the proper term." He shifted his weight, feet planted flat on the ground to keep the bike balanced with the added weight. "Climb on."

"The b*tch seat." She laughed, swinging her leg over the bike behind him. "Appropriate, no?" Her feet, predictably enough, left the ground as she settled onto the seat, sliding into the contour provided to press tight against his back as she settled her feet onto the rests. Her arms slid about his waist. "Am I doing this right?"

There was going to be a little language barrier between them with them being from two completely different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. "Only if you wanna be my b*tch," he quipped back, glancing over his shoulder, feeling her snug up against his back. "Hang on tight, and you'll be fine."

Holding on tight wasn't going to be a problem. He could probably feel her trembling a little, anticipating what she expected to be a moderately terrifying journey imminently with a gentle but obvious tightening of her arms as her hands pressed flat to his chest. "If you hear a scream, ignore me. I'm just giving voice to my cowardice."

[Lucy Rogers]

He frowned a little, wondering if this was a good idea, after all. He didn't want to scare her. He didn't think much of riding a bike, but he knew it frightened some people. "Do you trust me, Luce?" he asked, in a serious tone of voice.

There was a brief pause as she gave this some consideration, edging closer to his back to selfishly make the most of the heat that radiated from him. "Yes, Johnny," she said finally, confidence in her voice proving her point. "I do trust you."

That was all the answer he needed. "Don't worry. I'll be careful," he promised, turning back around and revving the engine witih a twist of his wrist and then his feet were off the ground and the bike was roaring through the streets, heading north away from the Marketplace and the city at large.

If he'd thought she was holding on tight before, it was nothing to the sudden death grip that crushed about his chest as the bike roared to life. Even her thighs clamped hard either side of his as she laughed, ever so slightly hysterical with the thrill of the speed.

Riding a motorcycle wasn't very conducive to carrying on a conversation, between the roar of the engine and the wind whipping around them. The air was a little chilly, but so long as she stayed close, she'd share his heat and stay toasty warm.

He took to the road more carefully and slowly than was his norm. A bit of a daredevil, he loved a good adrenalin rush and loved living on the edge, but he knew it wasn't for everyone and though he wanted her to have fun, he didn't want to scare her. He glanced into his mirror every now and then as if to make sure she was still there, though he could feel the death grip she had on his middle. He hadn't taken anyone out on his bike until now, and had bought the helmet earlier that day with her in mind.

The unsteady tightness of her grip on him did slowly begin to relax, though there was no way in hell she was going to be loosening her grip entirely. But there was a certain exhilaration in whipping along the roads like this, exposed and vulnerable and thrilling to experience. Lucy felt herself laugh, glad they were wearing helmets. If they hadn't been, Johnny would have found himself being kissed. Who'd have thought the staid Dr Broderick was a bit of an adrenalin junkie?

He smiled to himself when he felt her relax a little behind him. Was she laughing even? He wasn't sure why, but the thought of that warmed his heart. He just wanted to show her a good time. Encouraged by her reaction, he turned his head, raising his voice over the sound of the engine. "Hang on!" Once he felt she was secure, he increased his speed, the bike feeling as though it was flying across the road, the wind and the scenery whipping past. There were trees up ahead and he was headed that way, away from the congestion of the city.

As the speed increased, so did her grip, but that didn't last nearly as long as it had when they had first set off. The hysterical edge to her laughter eased off as the city fell away behind them, her grin wild, almost feral with delight behind the visor protecting her face from the whistling wind. Lucy was loving every second of this, enjoying the heightened buzz of her heartbeat and breath as Johnny took her further and further from the artifice and traffic of the city itself.

It wasn't long before the city was behind them, trees on either side of the road as they entered a wooded area, and he slowed the bike down before turning down an unpaved road that continued into the woods. The bike weaved its way along the road until they came to a clearing where he finally pulled off the road and came to a halt.

Entranced by the scenery whipping past at such speed, Lucy almost didn't notice when they slipped off the road, her eyes drawn forward once again as the bike drew to a stop. The slight lurch as the brake took over entirely thumped her intimately close against his back for a brief moment before she slid her hands from his chest, reaching up to pull the helmet off. As her hair cascaded in every direction feasible, she laughed again, the sound just as wild as before. "That was incredible!"

He liked the feel of her against him, close against his back, holding onto him tightly. He hadn't felt that way about anyone in a very long time. He unclasped his own helmet and pulled it off his head, turning to look at her over his shoulder and smiling broadly. "I knew you had a little adventure hiding somewhere inside you." He straddled the bike, his feet on the ground to hold the bike steady and waited for her to climb off.

[Lucy Rogers]

"Oh, I know," she grinned, too keyed up to take offense as she swung herself off the bike beside him. "No one could possibly be as boring as me and still have a pulse, right?" Laughing, she set the borrowed helmet down on the seat of the bike and gave in to an impulse. Bouncing up on her toes, she pressed a quick, joyful kiss to his lips, whirling away before she could think again. "So where are we?"

"I wouldn't say boring, but I thought maybe you'd like to let your hair down for a change. Training to be a doctor has to be..." His words were cut off by the impulsive if brief press of lips against his. "Uhh..." She seemed to have rendered him speechless a moment. He glanced around, shrugging his shoulders with a mischievous grin. "Hell if I know. Far enough away from the city that no one will bother us."

Turning back to him, Lucy realised she'd derailed him, giggling shamelessly. "Oh, sorry," she apologised through her grin. "I suppose I should have mentioned that I have a real weakness for guys who ride motorbikes, but I thought you might use it against me." The light in her eyes was still exhilarated as she bounced on her toes. "No one will bother us, hmm? My, my, Mr Storm, were you intending to besiege my virtue?"

He laughed as he climbed off the bike and hung his helmet over the handle bars, reaching for hers to do the same. "If I'd known that, I just may have. You one of those girls who has a thing for bad boys?" Once the bike was parked and the helmets were hung, the turned to face her, that smirk still on his face, amused at her perkiness. "The thought has crossed my mind a time or two."

She laughed again, one hand smoothly unzipping her jacket to let herself cool down now that she was no longer pressed closer to him. "Well, you don't get a reputation for being a bad girl at school without hanging around with a few bad boys," she winked impishly over at him, her lips parting in a wide smile. "I don't know, there's just something about motorbikes that makes me so horny." She didn't need to have shared that, but Lucy wanted to see what sort of reaction it might produce.

He arched a brow, watching as she unzipped her jacket, her blouse peeking out from beneath. Was she teasing him or what? He felt a familiar tightness in his groin that signaled the stirrings of desire. "God, you're so beautiful," he muttered, barely realizing he'd said it before the words were already out of his mouth. He hadn't brought her here to have his way with her, but if sparks flew, he wasn't going to fight it.

Her eyes shone with inviting warmth, a soft flush stroking over her cheeks at his unplanned compliment. "You're very sweet to say so," was her answer, her hand stretching toward his. "Come on, then. Why don't you show me your random little piece of wilderness?"

She had derailed him again, and he had to fight the urge to kiss her, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms and forget everything and everyone else for a while. Instead, he reached for her hand, taking it between his own, which was, as she might expect, warmer than a normal human's and led her toward the trees, which gently swayed in the late winter breeze.

He was quiet for a moment, not saying anything, just listening to sound of the trees whispering in the wind. "I'm sorry about the other day."

Her teeth found the soft pillow of her lower lip as she let him take the lead, thrilling to the heat in his skin. She was an adrenalin junkie, loving the thrill of danger, and Johnny's touch held the same enticement for her that riding his motorcycle had. When he spoke, she dragged her mind away from wild imaginings to look up at him with regretful eyes. "So am I," she said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Johnny."

He kept his eyes forward. He knew if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to say what it was he wanted to say, turning suddenly serious, if only for a little while. "I know. I was being stupid. It's just... I haven't let anyone close in a long time, and... I like you... a lot, and that scares me."

Her other hand smoothed over his knuckles as she stepped closer, resting her cheek against his shoulder as she leaned into his side. "I can't begin to imagine what it must be like for you, but ..." She sighed softly, squeezing his hand between hers. "You're not going to feel any better about it if you give into the urge to run away every time it passes over you."

[Lucy Rogers]

He looked over to find her head resting against his shoulder, and he let go of her hand just long enough to slide an arm around her to hold her close. "I know, but..." He frowned, sighing. "I'm not... normal. My life isn't normal. I like who I am. I like what I am. I've accepted it, but... it makes being with someone... difficult."

Curled against his side, Lucy sighed softly, her forehead resting against the hot column of his throat as her fingers slid into the back pocket of his jeans comfortably. "Well, I'm not that easy to be with myself," she told him quietly. "When my residency starts, I'll be working 36 hour shifts. It doesn't leave much time to have a so-called normal relationship. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you or anything. I think we're both difficult, in our own ways."

"Why do you think that would disappoint me?" He asked, glancing down at her. "What you do is important. What we both do is important." Yes, he had his serious side and didn't think being a "hero" was just a big game. He took the responsibility seriously, even if he didn't act like it most of the time. "I wasn't bragging when I told you what I am. I was asked to come here because..." He broke off a minute, unsure how to explain it. "Because someone has to stand up for what's right. Someone has to take a stand."

"And there isn't any organised defence in this city against the psychos that habitually take their frustrations out on it," Lucy agreed with a slow nod. For someone who had only been in Rhy'Din for a week, at most, this was surprisingly insightful. Unless you knew that it was her sister's opinion. She twisted, looking up at Johnny with warm eyes. "You bag 'em, I tag 'em?"

He turned to face her when she twisted against him, and he smiled faintly. "I wish it was that simple." He brushed the tendrils of dark hair back from her face. "In a way, both of our jobs are about helping people. We just go about it a different way. You try to keep them alive, I try to keep them safe."

The job at the amusement park was just for fun and to earn enough money to support himself. His true calling, ever since the age of sixteen, had been to be a hero, even if he didn't like using that word to describe himself.

Her smile softened at the gentle brush of his fingers against her skin, her eyes almost tender as she gazed into his. The subject of the conversation was all but forgotten as she found her gaze drawn to his lips, forcing her focus to lift back to his eyes as she spoke. "Johnny," her voice was a soft whisper, urging him to lean closer to hear her clearly. "Kiss me."

She didn't have to ask him twice. His arms went around her waist and he drew her close, his heart beating fast. Though an adrenaline junkie who was addicted to anything and everything that was fast and dangerous, he took his time kissing her, slowly, languishing in the tenderness that was their first kiss.

As his lips closed over hers, Lucy didn't know whether the heat that flooded her body came from herself or from him. It was a sensational thing to experience, the half-expected warmth urging her spine to curve with the wrap of his arm, her palm lifting to smooth against his jaw as her lips parted beneath his. Slow and tender, yes, but with something harder, more demanding behind it, she drew in a slow gasp of breath, suddenly rising onto her toes to curl her arms about his neck, deepening that kiss with undeniable hunger.

His temperature, as if not running hot enough, rose a little higher. If one didn't know better, they might think he was on fire, his temperature feverishly high. But there were no flames, none but those in his heart.  That heat radiated off him, but not uncomfortably so. He had learned control long ago and was able to hold her close without turning to flames. He dipped his head downward to return that kiss, lips parting with hers to explore further.

Briefly, her lips broke from his to ghost her breath over his skin, nuzzling close as her arms tightened about him. "God, I've wanted to do that since you almost knocked me off my feet at the hospital," she heard herself admit in a breathless whisper, her lips brushing to his once again almost before her words were done.

He reluctantly broke away from her  just long enough to look into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, dipping his head back down to brush his lips against her cheek, the side of her neck, her throat. He'd been with countless women, but very few who made him feel the way she did. Like it didn't matter if he was a different. All he wanted was for someone to see him for who he really was inside.