Three Weeks - When The Children Return

"Mommy got fat!"

Sue Storm stiffened at Valeria's comment. H.E.R.B.I.E. had interrupted the Invisible Woman on her way to the couch that morning to remind her that the children were returning back to the Baxter Building today. That had sent the heroine on a quest for a shower and clothes, two things she had increasingly gone without for the last three weeks.

In doing so, she accidentally skipped her daily vitamins, and the little pink pill.

The regular sessions on her ass in front of the television every day had helped her leg heal up—but, as Sue had seen to her horror in the mirror, it had also meant that she had eaten far more calories than she burned. The Invisible Woman pinched the flab of her new muffintops, saw the soft development of a paunch where had once only been a taut and toned stomach. Even her breasts looked bigger and softer, the dark nipples puffy.

The scale gave a number to her horrific binge: 160 lbs. That was nearly ten pounds a week of sheer fat. Not to mention the loss in muscle mass from skipping all of her workout sessions.

"What the hell was I thinking?" Sue Storm said to herself as she ran the razor over her overground mons. Even her labia looked puffy, and just bending over to take care of the landscaping highlighted her unaccustomed stiffness.

Of course, the truth is, Sue hadn't been thinking. The Invisible Woman realized that the last few weeks had been a blur. She rubbed her temples as she headed into her wardrobe, to find something, anything, that would fit.

The results were grim. None of her normal clothing would fit. Two hours of trying on everything in her wardrobe yielded a pair of elastic granny panties, her maternity Fantastic Four outfit with an overhanging shirt, her largest pair of sweat pants, and a Fantastic Four hockey jersey. None of her jeans or normal pants would fit; all of her shirts exposed her puffy stomach, and her underwear and bras all bit into her flesh.

"Diet," Sue said. "Diet, exercise, and a shopping trip."

For the first time in weeks, Sue Storm went into the Baxter Building's private gym. She was determined not to overdo it. Stretches, calisthenics, aerobic exercise. Yet all of it emphasized how out of shape she had become after three weeks of slobbing it out on the couch. It would take weeks for her to return to fighting trim—and she wasn't looking forward to that.

"Lunch" was a salad. Sue didn't even let herself glance at the junk food, and ignored the rumble in her stomach. By the afternoon, when Alicia Masters brought the children back, Sue was still disturbed about how little of the last few weeks she could remember. It almost felt like her mind wasn't all the way back yet. She was just grateful that the blind woman couldn't see the swell of Sue's stomach push out the skirt of her uniform, or the way the Invisible Woman's thighs rubbed together.

At least, not until Valeria shouted it out loud.

"I put on some weight while I was recovering from my injury," Sue explained. Alicia smiled. She was still as thin as ever, and never cared about anyone's appearance anyway. Yet Sue Storm still felt terribly embarassed.

Dinner was steamed chicken breast and another salad; the kids wanted burritos, to which Sue relented. Watching them scarf down the spicy, greasy meat and carbs made her own diminished portions and bland fare all the worse. Yet it was good to have her little darlings with her again, and they chatted amiably about all the things that the kids had done while staying with Agatha Harkness.

"Mrs. Harkness said she was worried about you," Franklin said. "Said she had a bad feeling. Should watch what you eat?"

"Oh yes?" Sue said. There was something in the back of her mind. Like something she should remember, but which refused to come to the surface. "Well, that was nice of her."

As soon as the Invisible Woman put the children to bed and kissed them good night, H.E.R.B.I.E. appeared behind her.

"Mrs. Richards," the small robot said. "You forgot to take your pills this morning."

He held up a small tray with the mix of vitamins and the small pink pill.

"Thank you, H.E.R.B.I.E.," Sue said, as she reached for the tray—and then hesitated.