"My name is Agent Coulson. Phil Coulson. I work for SHEILD. We need to talk, Dr. Richards."

LACIE'S POV

Before I could even ask what 'SHEILD' was Ben starting talking. Well, shouting. Pretty angrily. I could almost hear him thinking that it was clobbering time. This, this was going to be good. I almost felt bad for the guy, almost.

"He's not going with you! Don't think we've forgotten what happened the last time we worked for you. WE don't kill innocent people, we protect them! We don't like being kept in the dark until it's too late and that's all your agency does!"

Agent Coulson raised a brow "I am fully aware of what happened last time, Mr. Grimm. It was not my call, I was just the messenger in all that." Ben snorted in anger and disbelief, cracking his knuckles furiously.

I narrowed my eyes. Last time? What last time? I've seen plenty of FBI, CIA, NSA and even FDA agents since I began living with Reed, but never this guy. What is SHEILD, anyway?

Apparently, Johnny was thinking along the same lines as me. "SHEILD? What's SHEILD?", he asked sharply. I glanced up at his face in faint surprise. He wasn't being snarky or sarcastic, he was dead serious. He normally let Reed or Sue deal with things like this. My entire body stiffened and went on alert, now I had reason to be worried if Johnny was.

Agent Coulson turned to face Johnny, his back to Ben. Never a good idea when he was clenching his rock fists like that, especially when he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to put one right through Agent Coulson's face. Reed gave Ben his patented, 'Cool it. Not the time', look. Normally, Johnny was on the receiving end of that glare. But nothing seemed to be exactly normal today. Ben stepped back slightly, looks as if Coulson may yet survive the day. A bit disappointing, this guy gave me a bad feeling, I did not like how he looked at Johnny.

And sure enough that peircing look, almost fawning, returned when he settled his gaze on Johnny. My stomach flipped violently when Johnny's arm shifted positions to hug my shoulders and shift me farther from the SHEILD agent. Really, hormones? Not. The. Time.

"SHEILD is the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." he answered " And, yes, we realize it's a mouthful, we're working on it."

"No, it's all good. I mean, some people enjoy mouthfuls, right Phil?" Johnny responded. I sighed, pulling away from him. There's the Johnny we all know and loathe.

"I don't know, Mr. Storm. If you enjoy a mouthful that's your taste. I never would have been able to swallow it. Unlike you, clearly."

I snorted a laugh as Johnny's mouth popped open before morphing into a grudging smile. Not many would take on the hothead like that, maybe this guy wasn't so horrible. Alicia seemed to feel the same way because she started laughing softly, Ben even gave a halting chortle. But both Sue and Reed stood there with calculating expressions.

"What does SHEILD want with my husband, Agent Coulson?" Sue asked before Johnny could get in a comeback. Both he and Phil looked disappointed that he didn't get a chance.

"We're in the midst of a...science debate. I'm afraid we need Dr. Richards to help us settle it. This is greatly important. A very grave matter, actually."

"What kind of science debate, Agent?" I asked curiously. I'm not a dunce by any means and Reed's work always interested me.

"A top secret kind of science debate, Miss S-Miss Charles." he answered peevishly. Douche.

And what was with the name stumble?

"We'll talk more in depth on the way, Dr. Richards." Agent Coulson said, returning his attention to Reed. I could almost see more gray hair appearing as he made his choice, sighing in resignation. He turned to me with an apology in his eyes.

"Don't, Reed. It's fine. No apology required. Go save the world, Mr. Fantastic. From a top secret science debate." I smiled at him reassuringly. I was disappointed, though. This would be the third birthday in a row he had missed. Last year, he and Ben were at some science convention in Germany, something to do with electron particles. We Skyped The year before that, well, the world was almost devoured by some intergalatic world destroyer. They saved the world though, best birthday present ever. Except for books or gummy worms, especially gummy worms.

Sue looked at him with annoyance for giving in so easily. Ben and Alicia gave me pitying looks. Alicia made me feel even worse though, her gaze seemed to be looking into me instead of at me.

Reed walked over, ignoring Sue's never wavering glare, and pulled me out of Johnny's hold and into a hug. Agent Coulson's gaze had turned back to Johnny again, it was starting to get stalker-esque creepy. As Reed pulled back to leave Johnny grabbed his arm.

"No." he stated fiercely.

Reed looked at him, startled. "What?"

"I said, no. It's Lacie's birthday. You can't miss another one."

"She understands, Johnny. I'll be back. Then, she and I can go do something together. It is what it is." he pulled away and walked toward Phil.

"No." Johnny repeated. He walked after Reed but I stopped him. What was up with him today?

"Enough, Johnny. He'll be back. He's the science guy, I get it. I always deal with it." I saw Reed had stopped out of my peripheral vision, now I saw him wince at my words. Well, it's true. He tends to be a scientist before everything else.

"It's not right, Lace." Johnny snapped. I smiled at him faintly.

"I know." I murmured this so only he could hear. He gave me an unreadable look before turning away and walking to the white, kitchen cabinets away from everyone. He started pulling them open at random, examining each and every thing.

I looked at Reed and motioned for him to get in the elevator, rolling my eyes at the same time. He smiled at me slightly before pushing the button to open the elevator.

"Oh, Agent Coulson?" I called. Everyone turned their attention from Reed getting into the elevator to me, even Johnny paused in his examination of a wheel of spices.

"Yes, Miss Charles?"

"Bring him back in one piece. Or you might not be able to stay in that condition either." Ben smiled as I said this, cracking his hands menacingly to reiterate my point.

"Of course, Miss Charles." He nodded to us before following Reed into the elevator. I watched the doors slide together and sighed unhappily.

I quickly turned to Sue, shaking my head to rid myself from thoughts of Reed. "So, shopping first?"

She smiled at me and quickly agreed.

"Just give me ten minutes or so to finish getting ready and I'll meet you in the lobby." Sue said. Alicia seconded this and asked Ben to come to their room with her. The three of them waited on the elevator to come back up from the ground floor, then one by one stepped inside and vanished from view as the doors slide closed. I sighed internally, and then there were two.

I walked over to the counter where a bowl of apples sat, Sue was trying to get us to diverge from our steady diet of junk food (unsuccessfully), and I picked one up. I started to roll it in my palms. I couldn't think of anything to say to him.

I jumped slightly as his hand curled over my shoulder and I looked up. His handsome face was set in that unreadable expression that was so unusual for him, his blue eyes seem to radiate some unknown message that I just couldn't figure out.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked, his words cut sharply through the silence in the penthouse.

"I'm fine, Johnny. Really. It's nothing new."

"He shouldn't have gone."

"You know him, scientist first then human being." I said this in an exaggerating tone, trying to make him break out his familiar smile. Serious Johnny was standing closer to me than Normal, Annoying Johnny ever would. My body couldn't handle his proximity combined with the normal emotions today; annoyance, anger, suspiscion, etc. If he stayed this close much longer it was going to end in pure awkwardness. My nails dug deeply into the fruit.

My plan didn't work, though. He just nodded slightly and kept looking at me, searching for something.

His hand slid from my shoulder, moving toward my neck and slipping back to cup the base of my neck. My pulse jumped sharply, racing faster and faster, calling back that seductive, traitorous voice from earlier:

Kiss him.
No. I won't.
But you want to. Just tell him it's what you want for your birthday. Bat your eyes, it'll work.
NO. That's not even a present.
No, I suppose you're right. A PRESENT would be him. On our bed. Naked. Hard. Maybe with some whip cream or chocolate sauce. Doesn't that sound just amazing? Perfect? Orgasmic, even?
Yes. I mean...god, yes.

"Lacie?" Johnny asked softly. He had a faintly worried look on his face.

"Hmm?" I shook myself faintly. Welcome back to the real world, Lacie Antonia Charles. Stay here.

"You should go downstairs and wait for Sue and Ali. Do some major retail therapy." His hand was suddenly removed from my neck and he walked down the three steps that separated the kitchen area and the living room. He dropped onto the black leather couch, he had bought it two months ago to 'man up' the place (diva). He flipped on the TV and turned the channel to ESPN.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed putting the mutilated apple back in the pile. I only had a view of the back of his head and shoulders but my blood was still singing in my body, rushing to coil between my legs. I felt warm and weak. And utterly annoyed at myself. I needed to go, preferably five minutes ago.

I walked swiftly to the elevator, tapping my foot until the doors opened and I got inside. He was not going to play me like every other woman, ever. I pushed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed. I leaned forward, pressing my temple to the cool metal of the doors. My pulse was still playing tag in my veins, the voice had come back giggling and I was still warm all over.

"Well, shit."

JOHNNY'S POV

I can hear her walking across the floor to the elevator. I keep my eyes glued to the TV, not watching, but still straining for every sound. I listened as her foot tapped impatiently on the wooden floor, I listened as the elevator dinged, opened and then closed. Lacie going along with it. She was gone.

I let out my breathe slowly and started shifting uncomfortably on the couch. Damn leather, not enough give. God, if she had noticed the tent I was propping over there, and here, Sue would kill me. Hell, so would Ben. Reed, on the other hand, would torture me and make me sit through one of his lectures before killing me.

Not that I give a shit about Reed right now. It's Charlie's birthday, he had no fucking right to leave. The look on her face when she realized he was leaving. She looked so hurt, but he had her trained to cover it up quickly with that calm, fake smile. Her real smiles sizzled with life and they lit up her eyes like fireworks. Fuck Reed for hurting her like that. I just wanted to hold her.

Bury my face in that dark hair, that dark hair that smells like vanilla and cinnamon.

No, no, fuck. She's like Reed's daughter. And she's a kid, just a damn kid.

A kid with eyes that express every emotion and lips that can turn up into the most beautiful smile. A girl who makes me laugh and who makes me want to incinerate something out of frustration, normally at the same time. A woman who I fantasized about last night and who I now can't stop thinking about.

When in hell did THIS start?!
I'm Johnny Storm, The Human Torch. I can get any woman on the planet, it's a proven fact. Reed should add it to one of his science books.

I can't, won't, let her get to me like this.

I slammed my head onto my knees, my dick straining against my jeans furiously.

"Well, shit."