Marcie scowled as she set the sleek black boots next to the silver bodysuit and matching belt lying across her bedspread. At first it had been exciting to be the girlfriend of Jack a.k.a. Hurricane, Super Hero Extraordinaire, Master of Lightning, Rain and Snow. She especially enjoyed the perks that came with being a Super Hero's girlfriend: having a charming, broad-chested muscle-toned man on her arm, having his infallible personal protection and devotion, the fame that granted them special admissions to exclusive parties and events, and the covetous glances from other women.

Lately, though, little things were starting to bother her. First of all, he always wore that silver bodysuit. It would be nice to see him in another outfit sometime. And second, he was on duty 24 hours a day. His inner Storm Sense would alert him to trouble and off he'd go -- no matter that they were in the middle of dinner, a conversation or a bedroom tryst. It wasn't that she didn't want those in need to be rescued or crime to be stopped, but rather that she'd like to have uninterrupted time alone with her boyfriend more often.

Marcie listened to the sound of running water from the bathroom as she waited for Jack to finish his shower. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. It would be the answer to their privacy problem, but did she have enough time to carry it out? Not wasting any more time thinking about it, she snatched up the silver suit, wadded it into a ball, and stuffed it into an empty shoebox. Then she took the box into the kitchen and hid it under the sink behind bottles of soaps and detergents.

She was just shutting the cabinet door and standing up when Jack appeared in the kitchen doorway -- all 6 gorgeous feet of him, naked and dripping wet, with only a frown to mar his perfect features. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes skimmed his body and the room suddenly felt a little warmer. "This is going to be a great evening," she thought, struggling to keep the smile off her face.

"I found these by the bed," he said, holding out his boots. "But where's my suit? Is it still in the wash?"

"I don't know, honey. You had it last."

"Marcie," he said, with an exasperated sigh. "That doesn't hold water, since I'm sure I gave it to you before my shower and I specifically asked you to..."

He stopped in mid sentence, his eyes turning glassy and his face slack. Marcie hated that expression, not only did it mean he would be running out on her to save the world, but he also looked moronic. In moments his awareness returned, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I'm getting wind of a disturbance at 5th and Mason. Flamestra is at it again! Sorry, Marcie. I need a rain-check on our plans tonight."

Before Marcie could reply, he'd taken two strides to her and crushed her to his chest. As the air rushed out of her lungs, he bent his head and kissed her hard, stepping back all too soon to leave her breathless.

"See you later, babe. I'm off to take that fire-starter by storm." Hurricane shoved on his boots, hopping on one foot and then the other to the apartment front door.

"Wait, Jack!" she said, finding her voice and running after him. "You're naked!"

By the time she got to the door, Hurricane was already at the end of the hall and racing down the stairs. Marcie slammed the door behind him. "Well that's just great. Another evening alone."

Three hours later Marcie heard yelling and shouting outside the apartment. She hurried to her bedroom, opened the window and looked down the five stories to the street below. A swarm of women were converging on the building, gathering en masse at the front entrance. Behind her, Marcie heard the front door crash open and slam shut. She ran to the living room to find Jack in his black boots and nothing else, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hail, Marcie! I'm back!" Jack said. "I took the wind out of Flamestra's sails single-handed."

"You mean...?"

"Yep, she's all washed up."

His cheeks flushed and eyes bright, he looked quite pleased with himself. Marcie hadn't seen him this happy since the time he flooded The Mechanic's garage of ill-gotten vehicles. Her attention was drawn to the frantic knocking and high-pitched giggles on the other side of her apartment door.

"Guess what, Marcie?"

Her stomach clenched as it occurred to her that all those girls might have something to do with her Hurricane. "What?" she said with a certain amount of misgiving.

"I have a new Super Hero name!"

"What?" she said, confused, her mind still on the screaming girls. "What are you talking about?"

"My new name...The Lightning Streaker! Isn't it great? Women love it. I think I have a bigger following now than Dynamo, but better than that, Flamestra was so distracted I didn't have any trouble dampening her flames. Jack grinned. "However, I did ignite Flamestra in a different way."

Marcie frowned, but Jack didn't seem to notice as he picked her up and swung her around the room. Setting her down, he placed his hands on her shoulders and his expression grew serious.

"You realize that with this windfall of fans there'll be even less time for us to be together? I'll need to spend time with my admirers."

The yelling outside the apartment increased in volume and Jack turned toward the noise.

"Speaking of which," he said, setting Marcie aside. "No time like the present."

Marcie, speechless, watched The Lightning Streaker saunter to the front door to greet his fans.