Hanging Ten: Witchy Woman

by The Writer with No Name

After weeks of being friend-zoned by Emma, Johnny finally decides to move on, but this decision couldn't have come at a worse time...as a not-so-charming guest arrives at Surfer's Paradise, intent on settling an old score. AU Stoked S1-2, Ben 10: AF S2-3.

2. Black-Magic Woman

CHAPTER TWO: BLACK-MAGIC WOMAN

Museum of Natural History, Sunset Beach, B.C., August 2, 2010

As the moonlight shone through the windows of Sunset Beach's lone museum, all was silent, save only the imperceptible sounds of dust settling…and the blinking of the security console's silent alarm.

Lying semi-conscious at the entrance to the Antiquities Exhibit, the lone security guard groaned as four hulking shapes, with mauve-glowing eyes that matched the lines of force running through their bodies, lumbered into the Exhibit, leaving behind the hole they'd smashed in the wall. Shambling past the display-cases housing ancient masks, carvings, and various other artefacts, they stopped in front of one cylindrical case lined with security beams, housing a beautiful aquamarine necklace, with a brilliant sapphire embedded in it. Glancing at the necklace, the lead figure reached for it…

"Don't even think about it, buster!"

Turning around, the four hulking figures came face-to-face with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin, who'd simply followed them in through their entry-hole. His eyes narrowed, Ben moved his hand over the Omnitrix's dial. "Why don't you chumps just surrender now and spare yourselves a butt-kicking?"

The four figures just stared at the three of them, before darting straight at them; one grabbed a display-case and threw it, forcing an annoyed Gwen to block it. "They never listen."

"Nope," Kevin agreed, cracking his knuckles and then touching a nearby suit of armour, turning his skin to living steel. "Still, you gotta admit, the hard way's more fun." And he punctuated his quip with a lightning-fast jab at the second figure as it moved into the moonlight…revealing it as some kind of golem, infused with eldritch energy, before Kevin's strike fractured its featureless face, disrupting the energy and reducing it to dust.

Popping up the control-dial, Ben quickly selected Fourarms as two of the mystical golems shambled towards him, and slammed the dial down…only to grimace as the image shifted right before his palm connected with the dial. 'Oh, CRAP!'

His mental expletive came too late as the Omnitrix started cycling, the Omni-wave engulfing him completely to remake his DNA; his shoulders turned incredibly broad, while his arm-musculature more than quadrupled, as his fingers sprouted small claws, in contrast to the singular large claw that grew from the top of his wrist. His entire body grew a fine coat of fur, followed by his spine growing out from the bottom, but only slightly, ending in a stubby tail, while his ears shifted upwards, flattening against the top of his head, finishing with his canine teeth extending into fangs behind his now-cleft upper lip…

…and when the green glow died away, in Ben's place now stood a tall, muscular, feline humanoid, with tiger-like orange-black striped fur, as well as white on the underbelly, and slitted, narrow green eyes, matching the glow of the control-dial on his chest. "RATH!"

Noticing the new form of his teammate, Kevin groaned. "Picked a fine time to break in a new guy, Ben; this guy better be good."

Said new alien – Rath – bristled. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN', KEVIN LEVIN!" he exploded. "THERE AIN'T NOBODY BETTER AT WASTIN' BADDIES THAN RATH!" As one golem wandered close, Rath proved his point, slamming it with an uppercut, before spinning into a back-fist strike, extending his claw to cleave its head from its shoulders.

Raising a barrier to repel one golem, Gwen sighed. "One word, Ben: decaf!" she admonished. As her opponent stumbled back, Gwen molded her shield to encircle it. "In any case, something is obviously animating these golems; keep the other two off me while I probe it, will you?"

Rath sulked. "'KAY," he rumbled. As the last golem lumbered towards Gwen, to free its comrade, Kevin moved to intercept it, slamming it with a leap-kick to stun it, before following with an uppercut…

…only to find that the stone beast wasn't as dazed as he'd thought.

With surprising speed, the golem countered Kevin's attack with a submission-lock, followed by a throw that slammed him into the wall, stunning him.

Rath saw red. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN', STONE-FACE! NOBODY SMACKS MY PALS AROUND!" Racing at the golem, Rath pounced at it, claws extended as he sliced into it, tearing off its arms, then its legs, and then half its torso, before he grabbed it and threw it across the room…

…where it smashed into the golem Gwen had captured, destroying them both.

Rath paled. "OOPS."

Irate, Gwen frowned at Rath. "Ben! You just smashed our only lead!"

Kevin chuckled. "How about that; it wasn't me, this time."

Rath looked mildly sulky. "HE MADE ME MAD."

Gwen frowned. "Change back, right now; I don't trust you with that guy!"

Frowning, Rath tapped the control-dial, which deposited a wobbly Ben in his place. "Whoa, was that ever weird!" he exclaimed. "Good call, Gwen; Rath feels like two gallons of attitude stuffed in a one-gallon hat!"

Gwen sighed. "And you're just realizing this now?"

Thankfully, Kevin changed the subject. "Did you get anything off that thing?"

"Not much; just enough to know that there was another mana-user controlling it, and that they're very close," Gwen answered. "As in, within two miles of here."

Ben buried his head in his hands. "Not anymore; they're probably gone, by now, thanks to Rath's little tantrum."

As sirens started blaring in the distance, Kevin gulped. "Right now, booking sounds like a good plan." No-one made any argument at that, prompting the three of them to hurry out of the museum before the police arrived.

By the time police-cars had surrounded the museum, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were on a rooftop several miles away, watching the cops fan out. "Think they have any idea what went down?" Kevin asked.

Ben blinked. "Do we?"

Gwen looked thoughtful. "Well, whoever was controlling them seemed pretty interested in that necklace."

"Sounds like we'll need to hit the research archives," Ben said…as he yawned. "After we get some shut-eye?"

Kevin checked his watch…and grimaced. "Four hours 'till punch-in. Great."

Gwen shrugged. "You guys always have your breaks for research."

Ben snorted. "And what about you? Don't you have a day off?"

Gwen beamed. "Yeah, which is why Fin is giving me a surf-lesson!"

At his girlfriend's squeal, Kevin flinched. "And that's why I have an ear-appointment."

Ben laughed, as they headed for Kevin's car. "Come on, guys; let's get out of here while Kevin still has his hearing."

"It's a bit late for that, Tennyson."

XXXXXXXX

Surfer's Paradise, August 3, 2010

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH! Help, help!"

The relative tranquility of the early morning was shattered by Wipeout's cry as the hotel mascot ran – or waddled – for his life, chased by two red-headed mini-menaces on skateboards. From their viewpoint next to Johnny's strangely empty desk, Reef and Broseph, both on break, could only stare with sympathy. "Man, Todd and Mark need some kinda hobby, bro."

Reef nodded. "At least one that doesn't involve cruelty to mascots, man."

Emerging from the elevator with the Marvin parents, a mildly distraught Andrew Baumer, in uniform, gestured towards said kids with a wavering smile. "As you can see, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin, Todd and Mark are making quite the racket, and it's disturbing some of our other guests; we have plenty of outdoor activities for them, so if you wouldn't mind..?"

Glancing towards her two rampant sons, the somewhat-rotund Mrs. Marvin shook her head. "Oh, they're just playing!"

Nodding in agreement, the equally-portly Mr. Marvin added, "They're not hurting anyone!"

His eye rapidly ticking, Bummer forced a smile. "Of…of course!"

Frantic, Wipeout waddled for the exit, but his twin tormentors were gaining on him; there was no way he'd make it…

Suddenly, the doors slid open, as Johnny casually strolled into the lobby, a calm smile on his face. Walking past the fleeing Wipeout, Johnny stopped, and grabbed the Marvin twins by the collars as they rolled into reach. "Hey! Leggo!" Mark shouted. "Or we'll tell our folks on..!"

He never got a chance to finish, as Johnny set them down on the floor, and with two quick toe-taps, flipped the two skateboards into the air, catching them with a master's ease. Todd's mouth dropped open. "Whoa…"

With an easy grin, Johnny handed the skateboards back to them. "There's a skate-park out back, guys; you mind shreddin' out there?" he asked. "Snack-Shack should be on gear-rental and café-duty; just tell him Johnny sent you, and he'll give you a sweet deal!"

Mark blinked. "Uh…okay."

Chuckling, Johnny winked at them. "Cool." With that, he headed towards his desk.

Mrs. Marvin was furious. "Just what did you think you were doing, manhandling my sons?" she exploded. "I have a good mind to..!"

"Mrs. M., lookin' fly!" Johnny greeted. "I just heard yesterday that the head waitress wished she had your figure!"

Blushing, Mrs. Marvin stumbled. "W-Well, t-thank you…b-but that still doesn't excuse..!"

"Hope you didn't mind me hittin' the brakes on your kids' playing, Mrs. M.; I just noticed that they didn't have safety-gear, so I sent 'em to the skate-park," Johnny continued. "Gave 'em a discount on snacks and equipment, too."

Mrs. Marvin blinked, the wind taken completely from her sails. "Oh. Well…good."

Johnny grinned. "In the meantime, why don't you two enjoy the beach? The surf's totally overhead, and the surf-instructor should be back in a few!" he suggested, pointing at Mr. Marvin. "I know I saw you shredding killer waves yesterday, Mr. M.!"

Mr. Marvin started to smile. "Well, I'm getting the hang of things," he admitted. "I suppose things seem to be in order." He glanced to his wife. "How about it, honey? Care to hit the beach?"

Mrs. Marvin smiled back. "Oh…why not?"

As the two walked off, Johnny's grin grew. "Okay; have fun, you two!"

With the Marvins out of earshot, Bummer beamed. "Johnny, that was AMAZING!" he exclaimed. "I've been running myself ragged dealing with those two, but you had them…eating out of your HAND!"

Johnny shrugged. "What can I say, Boss? I learned from the best."

Bummer's grin was so wide, it looked like his face might crack. "Keep this up, and you'll be looking at a raise for sure…and maybe a promotion!" he declared. As he turned to go, his scowl instantly came back as he spotted Reef and Broseph. "Pay attention, slackers; you could learn something from Johnny!"

Once Bummer had walked away, Reef grinned. "Normally, I'd be ticked at Bummer harshing on us…but, DUDE!" he exclaimed. "Talk about smooth!"

Johnny smirked. "Well, you know what they say: "behind every good man is a good woman.""

Broseph laughed. "Man, I thought I saw you leavin' with that silver-haired fox, bro! Way to go!"

Reef grinned. "Now, didn't we tell you that you needed to move on?"

Johnny chuckled. "You actually called that one right, man," he agreed. "A weight is off my shoulders; the H.M.C.S. Emma Mackenzie has sailed, and the U.S.S. Charmina was more than happy to take her spot."

Reef nodded. "Congrats, man; you just shredded your "Let's Just Be Friends" Club membership card, and gotten your Guy Club card back! How's it feel?"

Johnny inhaled deeply, and let it out with a smile. "Pretty darn good, man…"

"Where is he?"

That irate female shout made the three of them freeze as an indignant Lo, in her DR wench-uniform, stormed out of the DR towards them. "What the hell was that yesterday, Johnny?" she snapped, hands on her hips. "Emma was about to open up to you, and you completely shut her down! Do you know how much damage-control Fin and I will have to do just to get her talking to you, again?"

To Reef and Broseph's surprise, Johnny folded his arms stonily, not flinching one bit. "Actually, I do, Lo: none," he replied. "That whole thing where you and Fin were trying to get Emma to like me? You can drop it, now; I'm over it."

Lo's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Contrary to what you and Fin may think, I'm actually quite the catch," Johnny replied. "If Emma's not interested, I do have other options." He smirked. "As I found out yesterday."

Lo's eyebrow ticked. "What?"

"It's true, bra; just last morning, this total uberfox walked up to the desk and started flirting with the dude!" Broseph exclaimed.

Reef nodded. "And last night, after my sage advice, he hooked up with said hottie!" he finished. "Our little Front Desk Guy is growing a pair; I couldn't be more proud."

Johnny frowned. "Thanks."

Lo was flabbergasted. "Are you…are you kidding me?" she shrieked. "You mean after all Fin and I did, you're just going to drop Emma for some…some kind of beach-hussy..?"

"JON-JON!"

Lo quickly had to cut off her tirade as a little African-Canadian girl, in pink shorts and a light rose t-shirt, with her hair in pigtails, darted across the lobby floor to tackle into a laughing Johnny, knocking them both to the floor, with her on his lap, hugging the stuffing out of him. "Hey, Mel!"

Giggling, Melanie gave her brother another hug. "I'm so happy to see you!" she chirped. "Are you still gonna teach me how to surf? Can we build sand-castles, too? What about..?"

A gentle laugh interrupted her. "Melanie, give your brother a chance to breathe!"

Setting his sister back on her feet, Johnny stood up to greet his mother. "Hey, Mom."

Smiling back, Bethany St. James – in her 40s, a bit shorter than her son, and willowy, with long dark hair tinged with hints of silver, and coffee-hued eyes, clad in a light violet short-sleeved blouse and light grey long skirt – moved to hug Johnny. "It's good to see you, honey."

Johnny hugged back. "You too, Mom."

Melanie quickly jumped back in. "Mommy, can Jon-Jon and I go surfing, now? You said we could!"

Bethany sighed. "Yes, I did, Melanie…after we get checked in."

Johnny caught on. "Don't worry, Mel – it shouldn't take long!" he assured her. "Oh, that reminds me: Mel, Mom, these are three of my coworkers; Reef, Broseph, Lo, these are my Mom and baby sis Melanie."

Grinning, Broseph waved. "Hey, Mrs. St. J.," he greeted, before looking to Melanie. "S'up, mini-dudette?"

Reef looked forlorn. "Dude, tell us you're not sticking us with babysitting duty…"

Melanie frowned. "Not a baby!"

Johnny sighed. "Relax, Reef: Broseph's the only bellhop, around here," he said.

The whole time, Bethany had been fixing a wary eye on Lo. ""Lo"?" she repeated. "As in the little girl who got the RCMP sent up here because of a party?"

Lo sighed. "Yes, Mrs. St. James, that was me; and as you can see by this grody uniform, I'm doing my time for it! Can we please move on?"

Bethany calmed down. "I suppose so."

Moving to a luggage-cart, Broseph waved to Melanie. "Come on, mini-dudette; these carts are awesome to ride on!" he said, but Johnny and Bethany's glares made him re-phrase that statement. "Uh…not that I'd know or anything…"

Melanie beamed. "Can I, Jon-Jon?"

Johnny managed a smile. "You can help Broseph with the luggage, Mel, but no riding on the carts; they're not toys."

"But Jon-Jon…"

"No buts, Mel," Johnny insisted. "Besides, Broseph needs help to get it done; the faster you and Mom get moved in, the sooner you get your surfing-lesson!"

Melanie beamed. "Okay!" With that, she scampered after Broseph.

Lo sighed as she turned to go. "I guess I'd better get back to work," she said, before frowning at Johnny, "but this talk so isn't done, buster."

As she watched Melanie hurry off, Bethany chuckled. "And I still can't get her to eat broccoli even half that fast."

Johnny shrugged. "It's a mystery, Mom," he answered. "Anyway, I've got the last bit of paperwork for you to sign, so…" He paused as his phone rang. "Hang on, Mom," he said, before fishing out the phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi, handsome."

The sound of that sultry voice sent waves of desire running up and down his spine. "M-Mina, hi!" he exclaimed. "I didn't expect to hear from you, this early; I was going to call, this afternoon..!"

"I know, John; I was, too…but I just couldn't get you or the way you kissed me last night out of my head…"

Johnny felt his face turn rosy. "I-I've been thinking about that a lot, too, Mina."

Charmina's voice turned breathy. "I've got to see you, today, John; if I can't be near you…"

Johnny's knees started wobbling. "Uh…c-could we get together sometime this evening, Mina?" he suggested. "It's just…I know it sounds lame, but I promised my baby sister I'd give her surf-lessons."

Charmina's sultry voice instantly turned saccharine. "Awwwww! That's so sweet!" she cooed, before giggling. "Mind if I join you, then? I'd love to meet her!"

Johnny scratched his head. "I don't know, Mina; I'd rather not move too fast…"

Mina's chiming giggle magically erased his worries. "I'll be on my best behaviour, John; I promise!" she said. "I'd rather save the naughty stuff for when we're alone."

Johnny felt his head start to spin. "Well…okay, Mina; we'll be at the beach in an hour, or so."

"Great! I'll be sure to bring my board! See you then!"

As the call ended, Johnny felt himself grin…which did not go unnoticed. "So who is she?"

His mother's inquiry caused Johnny to go a bit red. "Who's who, Mom?"

Bethany folded her arms. "The girl you were just talking to," she clarified. "The one that got you so hot under the collar. I wasn't aware you were with anyone, Jonathan."

Johnny sighed. "We only met yesterday, Mom; Charmina and I met here, we hit it off, and then we met up in town," he answered. "She seems really nice, and I really like her; what's the problem?"

Bethany looked worried. "Nothing, except you seem to be going a bit fast," she said. "Didn't you tell me you liked one of the new girls working here? What was her name, again? Emily?"

"Emma, Mom," Johnny corrected. "And yeah, I did like her. Past tense." A scowl crossed his face. "That's what happens when a girl says a guy is "just a friend.""

Now it was Bethany's turn to frown. "And just what's wrong with being friends with a girl, mister?"

"Nothing, if all you want is friendship," Johnny countered. "But when you want more, being "just a friend" is like getting sprayed with acid. Repeatedly."

Bethany sighed. "Aren't you exaggerating?"

Johnny's eyes narrowed. "Would you have been happy if you were "just a friend" to Dad?"

The second he said it, Johnny knew it was a mistake; as his mother's face clouded with hurt and grief, he backpedalled fast. "Oh, God, Mom…I didn't mean to…you knew what I meant, right?" he pleaded. "How would you have felt if someone you really cared for didn't think of you any more than anyone else?"

Bethany started to calm. "I…I understand what you mean, Jonathan," she said. "But don't you think you should give this Emma girl more credit? She might start to see you as more than a friend…"

"Mom, I've helped her with surfing, with work, and even helped save her life once, and she's still hung up on a guy that can barely remember her name. If none of that won her over, there's no hope," Johnny finished. "If Emma wants to waste her time chasing a guy like that, that's her call, but I don't think it's fair that I should have to wait around for her – not when there are girls that are interested, like Charmina."

Bethany sighed sadly. "I see what you're saying, John," she said, "but I still don't want you to get hurt by rushing into things."

Johnny smiled gently. "I won't, Mom; you taught me better than that."

Bethany smiled back. "You're a good boy, Jonathan," she said. "Well, if your heart is set on seeing this "Charmina" girl, I would like to meet her, before I leave."

Johnny grinned. "I think we can arrange that," he answered. "Anyway, I still need to get you and Mel signed in; if you'll just step into my office..?"

Leading his mother towards his desk, Johnny fished out the necessary paperwork, while his mind drifted elsewhere; as much as part of him wanted to agree with her and give Emma another chance, the rest of him knew it was a waste of time.

He was the last thing Emma was thinking about.

XXXXXXXX

Try as she might, Emma couldn't stop thinking about Johnny.

Sitting on the hotel beach, her surfboard buried in the sand, Emma gazed glumly out at the waves; she'd intended to go for a sesh to clear her head…but that had faded once she'd arrived.

"…you just expect that life to revolve around you."

"Not with me, there's not."

Johnny's words kept echoing in her head, over and over; his cold dismissal had come completely out of left field, utterly flooring her. 'Where the heck did THAT come from?' she wondered. 'What'd I do to get Johnny so flavoured..?'

"Oh, hey, Ella."

At the misspelling of her name, Emma started to frown as she glanced up at Lo's brother. "Hey, Ty."

His board in hand, Ty smiled as he looked out at the surf. "Waves any good?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess."

Ty blinked. "Okay," he mused. "Just wanted to grab a couple waves before I met up with Cindy."

Emma felt her eyes narrow. "Who's that, your girlfriend?" 'What's that, your third one, this month?'

"Kinda; we just met at the Quintuple Overhead, last night," Ty answered casually. "That reminds me; I should ask Johnny how his evening went – lost sight of him, a few minutes in."

Emma felt her teeth grinding. "Wow, you're a heck of a friend."

Oblivious to the veiled shot, Ty grinned. "Thanks!" he replied. "Anyway, I was thinking of heading back there, sometime; you should totally tag along, Ella…"

"It's EMMA!"

That shout ripped out of Emma's mouth before she could stop herself, her fury going on autopilot. "E! M! M! A! No L's!" she shrieked, terrifying Ty into silence. "How fricking hard is that to remember, you jerk?"

Ty was pale. "Whoa, simmer down, betty; what's with the aggro all of a sudden?"

""All of a sudden"? This is weeks in the making, you tool!" Emma exploded. "I liked you since I got here, and you can't even get my name right, and you've been chasing every shallow little beach-bunny that walks through the hotel doors while I was just sitting around waiting for you to notice me! ARRRRRGGH!"

Ty blinked. "You…like me?"

Emma was ready to strangle him. "Not anymore, you kook!" she yelled. "So go ahead! Chase this "Cindy" chick! I just hope she has more sense than I had, when I first met you!" With that, she picked up her surfboard and stormed off, heading back to the hotel.

By the time she reached the lobby doors, meeting Lo and Fin in their swimwear, boards in hand, Emma was still steamed. "Lo, your brother's a complete jackass!"

Lo sighed. "Oh, God, what did George do now?"

"Your other brother!"

Fin's eyes went wide. "Holy…you're steamed at Ty?"

Emma nodded. "Not only did he get my name wrong again, he's off chasing some new beach-skank! I am so done with that kook!" she declared. "I can't believe I was dumb enough to fall for him! I should've told him off weeks ago!"

Lo started to smile. "You…you told him off?"

"You bet your board I did, and I don't care if I get fired for it; I'd cuss that tool out again, if I had to!"

Fin cheered. "Whooohooo! That's our girl!" she exclaimed. "Show that player who's boss!"

Lo looked mildly worried. "You're okay, right?" she inquired. "You're not upset?"

Emma groaned. "I'm just mad at myself for not seeing it sooner."

Lo let out a relieved sigh. "Well, good! Trust me, Emma: you can do so much better!" She tossed Fin a knowing wink.

Fin caught on. "Yeah, Alberta; you should go for a guy that, for one thing, can remember your name."

"Well, duh."

Lo stepped in. "You should date a guy that's actually nice to you."

Emma nodded. "Exactly!"

Fin jumped back in. "A guy that listens when you're stressed, and remembers what's bugging you."

"Yes!"

Lo smiled knowingly. "A guy that'll totally bend over backwards to help you, like with surf-tricks."

"Totally!"

Fin chuckled. "Maybe a guy that's good with kids, like his baby sister?"

"That'd be perfect!"

Lo smirked. "So basically, a guy like Johnny."

"Yes! God, if there was a single guy like Johnny, I'd totally date him!" Emma exclaimed.

Lo and Fin just stared at her.

Slowly, Emma's eyes went wide, as her own statements raced through her brain, adding up to one shocking revelation. "Oh. My. God."

Fin grinned. "And the light-bulb finally switches on."

Emma's face brightened into an incredulous smile. "J-Johnny's a…he's a Type Three."

Lo nodded, suppressing giggles. "Took you long enough, Mackenzie."

Emma's smile grew. "I…I can't believe I didn't see it…"

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, Alberta," Fin said, pointing a thumb towards Lo. "Remember, it took Princess here a good month or so before it occurred to her she might want to stake a claim on States."

"Oh, and like you're better?" Lo sassed back. "You still haven't figured out you like Reef!"

Fin's eyes narrowed. "Don't push it, Ridgemount. We just solved one problem."

Rolling her eyes, Lo turned back to Emma, looking regretful. "Yeah, but now we have another."

Emma's smile faded. "Yeah, I know: for some reason, Johnny's mad at me," she agreed. "It'd help if I knew what I did!"

Fin groaned. "Yeah; it's not like you were ignoring him in favour of some kook, right?"

Emma blinked. "I-I wasn't ignoring Johnny!" she protested. "I just…I only…" but her voice trailed off, as all the times she'd interacted with Johnny came flooding back: all the times he'd been nice to her, offered to help her at work, or at surfing…

…and each and every single time, she'd been vocally obsessing over Ty, right in his face.

Her eyes wide, Emma's expression turned to one of pure horror. "I…I'm…I'm a HORRIBLE person!" she cried. "I-I've been…I've been treating Johnny the exact same way as Ty's been treating me!"

Lo quickly tried to defuse her anxiety. "Okay, exaggerating much?" she asked. "You weren't that bad!"

Fin was sympathetic, but not as much as Lo. "Yeah, Em, I wouldn't worry about karma going apespit on you…but, as much as I hate to play Guy's Advocate here, you kinda had it coming: most guys would've walked long before now, for a whole lot less."

Emma didn't argue. "I-I've got to apologize to him!" she exclaimed. "Is he still inside?"

Lo shook her head. "He just left to go give his baby sis some surf-lessons at the beach," she answered, "but there's something you need to..!"

Emma didn't wait for the rest; she was already sprinting off towards the beach. Reaching the beach in less than a minute, she scanned the area, and spotted Johnny near the water's edge, in his wetsuit, with a duffel bag nearby, lying front-down on his board, with a little African-Canadian girl – Melanie – in a pink one-piece swimsuit, complete with a little frilly skirt, doing the same as her brother on a kid-sized board. "Okay, Mel; once you're in the water, you just have to paddle into a wave like this," Johnny coaxed, illustrating with several long strokes of his arms through the sand. "Then, once the wave just starts to pass, you pop up: grab the front of the board with both hands, push yourself up just enough to get one knee up, and then carefully stand up!" With exaggerated motions, he popped up on his board. "Now you try!"

Concentrating, Melanie repeated her brother's motions: she grabbed her board, pushed up to get one foot on the board, and then stood up. "I did it! Jon-Jon, I did it!"

Johnny beamed. "Awesome, Mel!" he exclaimed. "Now, all you need is to practice that in the water before you try the waves."

"Okay!"

As adorable as that scene was, Emma didn't have time to enjoy it; taking a deep breath – and suppressing her mental 'squee!' – she stepped forward. "Uh…Johnny?"

Johnny had just been about to wade into the water with his sister when he heard her; turning around, he looked towards her…and smiled. "Hey, you."

Relief came over Emma as she smiled back. "Hey, Johnny; I…I've been thinking about a few things…"

Emma's relief was short-lived. "Hey, handsome."

Emma's eyes went wide, as another girl casually walked right past her towards Johnny, who never took his eyes off her. Whoever she was, this new girl looked like she'd walked off the cover of a modelling magazine. She was tall and dancer-lithe, with a chest-size most girls would kill to have – Emma included. Even worse, the girl had a perfectly trim booty, and clear, unblemished moon-white skin, accentuated by a magenta bikini. Her hair – shimmery platinum silver – trailed long and silky down her back, her elegantly-lashed pink eyes glittering as her coral-pink lips curled up to smile back at Johnny, her slender arms carrying a pink-silver longboard, engraved with a creepy-looking arcane symbol at the front. "Am I late?"

Johnny beamed. "Not at all, Mina; you're right on time."

Emma felt like she was going to fall over. 'W-Wha..?'

Melanie looked just as confused as Emma felt. "Jon-Jon? Who's that?"

Blushing, Johnny scratched his head. "Oh, sorry, Mel; I forgot to tell you," he said. "Mina, this is my baby sister Melanie. Mel, this is Charmina; she's a…friend of mine."

Charmina pouted. "Only a friend?"

Johnny's blush intensified. "A very special friend," he amended.

Charmina smiled, winking at him. "Much better."

Emma felt like something in her chest was about to snap.

Melanie caught on, and started giggling. "Jon-Jon's got a girlfriend! Jon-Jon's got a girlfriend!"

Johnny flinched. "Mel..!"

Mina just giggled, as she knelt down to Melanie. "Oh, how adorable are you?" she cooed. "I just love your pigtails; they're so pretty, and so is your swimsuit!"

Melanie beamed. "Thanks!" she chirped. "After I try surfing, you wanna help me and Jon-Jon build sand-castles?"

Charmina smiled back. "That sounds like fun, sweetie!" she answered. Turning to Johnny, she frowned worriedly. "But do you think your brother would mind giving me a few surf-lessons?" she asked. "I think I need a few pointers."

Johnny blushed. "Uh…well…"

"Please, Jon-Jon?" Melanie asked.

The double-plea quickly overwhelmed Johnny's taxed willpower. Smiling warmly, he nodded. "Sure."

Emma was still frozen to the spot when Lo and Fin caught up to her. "Alberta, what are you waiting for?" Fin asked as she walked. "Go set the record straight with what the hell."

The sight of Charmina completely derailed Fin's statement just as it had with Emma's. "Who…who…" Emma murmured. "Who's that?"

Lo sighed. "That's what I was trying to tell you," she said. "On his little club-hop, last night, Johnny apparently hooked up with that."

Fin was still bug-eyed. "Holy crap."

Smiling, Charmina held out her board. "So, where should I start?"

"Well, Mina, the first thing to do – like I told Mel – is learn to pop up," Johnny instructed, before chuckling. "I've already shown Melanie how. Care to demonstrate, Mel?"

"Okay!" Lying back on her board, Melanie demonstrated the technique. "Once a wave starts passing you, you have to pop up by pushing up with your arms, steadying one knee, and then standing up!"

Smiling back, Charmina laid her board flat on the sand, and copied the technique, popping up wobbily. "Like this?"

Melanie beamed. "Yeah!"

Johnny chuckled. "That's the idea, Mina, but you need to center your hips a bit more to help your balance. If you hit a wave with that stance, it'll dunk you fast."

Mina chewed the side of her lip. "How should I center myself?" she asked. "Could you show me?"

Johnny flushed. "Well…sure!" he answered, moving closer to her. Gently placing his hands on her hips, he nudged lightly. "Just a little this way…"

Closing her eyes, Mina leaned back into him. "That feels really nice, John."

Emma felt her knees wobble.

Lo fumed. "That…sneaky little skank!"

The sound of Lo's voice drew Mina's attention. Glancing towards them, she arched a platinum eyebrow. "John? Are these friends of yours?"

Following her gaze, Johnny sobered. "Yeah, they are," he answered. "Fin, Lo, Emma, this is Charmina; Mina, these are my friends Fin McCloud, Lo Ridgemount, and…Emma Mackenzie."

Fin folded her arms. "Hey," she greeted casually.

Lo's eyes were narrowed, her voice tightly cordial. "Hi."

Emma gulped. "H-Hi."

Mina blinked as her pink gaze fell on Emma. "John, is she..?"

"Yeah."

Mina's expression was pure sympathy. "You poor thing."

Emma was confused. "Huh?"

"Nothing, Emma," Johnny said with a sigh. "Was there anything you guys needed?"

Emma, still reeling, was at a loss, but Fin thankfully covered her. "Nah; we were just gonna grab a sesh while the surf's good."

Lo nodded, her semi-glare still trained on Mina. "Yeah, since the surf's totally overhead – perfect for anyone that's not a noob."

Mina frowned at the shot, but Melanie was oblivious. "Can I surf, too?" she pleaded. "Please? Jon-Jon taught me and everything!"

Managing a smile, Emma nodded. "Uh…sure, sweetie."

"As long as you only stick to little waves, for now," Johnny added.

"Yay!" Happily, Melanie grabbed her brother's hand. "C'mon, Jon-Jon; let's go tell Mommy! I want her to see me surf, too!"

Mildly embarrassed, Johnny sent an apologetic smile to Charmina. "I am really sorry about this…"

Giggling, Mina waved him away. "It's fine, John; I don't mind meeting your mother."

Johnny flushed again. "We'll only be a minute, promise."

Mina winked at him. "Hurry back?"

Johnny's smile turned goofy. "Definitely." With that, he let his sister drag him away.

Once Johnny was out of earshot, Lo rounded on the newcomer. "What exactly do you think you're doing, missy?"

Her sweet smile gone, Charmina remained tranquil, looking at them as though they were something disgusting stuck to her shoe. "Pardon me?"

"Whatever you're thinking of doing with Johnny, forget it," Fin snapped.

Lo nodded. "He likes Emma, so back off!"

Her hands on her hips, Charmina chuckled haughtily. "Not from what I saw," she retorted. "Granted, last night he was a bit down about some airhead grom not noticing him…but I think I fixed that."

Emma was so dumbfounded, she completely missed the shot. "Johnny…likes me?"

Mina sighed with exasperation. "Liked, sweetie. Past tense. Do try to keep up."

Fin looked murderous. "Just who do you think you are?"

"Someone who's smart enough to recognize a good man when I see one," Mina retorted, her cool gaze falling on Emma, again. "Face it, carrot-top: you had your chance, and you blew it. You only realize now what you passed up?" She smirked. "Boo-hoo. Go cry yourself a river, build a bridge, and get over it. Unlike you, I know enough to treat him like the man he is."

Her shock fading, Emma narrowed her eyes. "Oh, really?"

With a smirk, Mina chuckled. "I honestly feel bad that he had to put up with you as long as he did. Thankfully, he realized that he was wasting his time with the D-List when he could be an A-Lister."

Emma's patience – already frayed by Ty – snapped. "Surf-off, skank!"

Mina arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Emma exploded. "The two of us, in the lineup, right now, raddest sesh wins! And when I kick your snotty butt, you get LOST!"

Mina remained nonplussed, responding with only a shrug. "Your funeral, carrot-top." With a smirk, she gestured to the surf. "Losers first."

Still fuming, Emma stormed out into the water, paddling into an oncoming wave. Once the wave started to crest, she popped up, sailing along the sapphire swell, to spin into a perfect 360 once she launched above the whitehead. Dropping back, she dipped low, and launched again, this time into a tail-grab. Taking a deep breath, she darted above the whitecap once more, pitching back for a reverse flip…

…and landed perfectly, racing under the crashing wave to arrive at the beach.

Fin cheered. "Emma, you nailed it!"

Beaming at her performance – and at finally landing a flip – Emma smirked back at Mina. "Top that, Little Miss Yes-That's-My-Real-Hair-Colour!"

Mina remained tranquil. "Yes, yes, that was a decent warm-up, but what about your…oh, wait, that was your sesh?" Her smile turned cruel. "This will be easier than I thought. Observe."

Casually wading into the water, Charmina paddled into the next wave. As it crested, she popped up perfectly…and almost magically whirled into a 720 spin.

Lo was dumbfounded. "W-What the…where'd she learn to..?"

But Mina wasn't finished. The very moment she'd landed, she raced to the whitecap again, riding it like a rail as she executed three perfect spins, without even leaving the water's surface.

Now Fin was dumbstruck. "Holy…even I can't..!"

Even then, Mina had saved her best for last: leaping above the whitecap one last time, she tipped back, turning herself upside-down, before executing not one, two, or even three, but four perfect spins, to finish by flipping right-side up in time to land flawlessly.

Emma dropped her board.

Coasting back to the beach, Charmina strolled towards them, board in hand, her smile triumphant. "Anything you'd care to say, big-mouth?"

Emma's mouth was open, but no sound came out.

"I didn't think so." Charmina then frowned. "Oh, and F.Y.I.? This is my real colour." To emphasize her point, she tipped her head forward to part the hair above the crown of her skull: silver down to the roots.

"Duuuuuuuude!"

At Reef's exclamation, Mina was instantly all sweet smiles as Johnny, Reef, Broseph, The Kahuna, Melanie, and an older lady who had to be Johnny's mother walked over. "Betty, those moves were sick!" Reef exclaimed.

Mina shrugged. "If you say so."

Melanie was equally amazed. "That was so cool!" she chirped. "Can you teach me to do that?"

Mina giggled. "If your Mommy and big brother don't mind."

Jokingly stern, Johnny folded his arms, trying to keep a smile off his face. "Mina…you didn't really need a surf-lesson, did you?"

The picture of innocence, Mina moved her arms behind her back. "No," she confessed, before inching closer, to whisper in Johnny's ear…though Emma still caught her words.

"But how else could I have gotten you to put your hands on me with Melanie watching?"

Johnny looked like steam was about to shoot out his ears. "U-Uh…h-have I introduced my Mom, yet?" he babbled. "Mom, this is Charmina, the girl I told you about; Mina, this is my Mom, Bethany St. James."

Mina giggled. "You talked about me, John?"

Johnny grinned. "Only to sing your praises."

Emma felt the rest of whatever was in her chest snap.

A warm smile across her face, Bethany extended her hand to Mina. "It's lovely to meet you, dear."

Smiling back, Mina shook Bethany's hand. "Likewise, Mrs. St. James."

The second her palm contacted Mina's, Bethany flinched, as a chill ran up her spine, her smile turning forced. The Kahuna was oblivious to her reaction, his attention drawn by Charmina's board. "Awesome decal, betty!" he exclaimed. "Never seen a design like this one, before!"

Mina shrugged. "I designed it myself…though I did have some inspiration." With that, she brushed her hair over her shoulder…revealing a smaller version of the exact same arcane symbol on the nape of her neck.

Broseph's eyes were wide. "Whoa, cool tat, girl…but didn't that hurt?"

Mina laughed. "Not a bit," she answered. "It's a birthmark."

Lo mimed gagging.

Johnny looked worried. "Well, that's a relief, Mina; a tattoo like that would've really hurt…"

Mina giggled, inching closer to him. "Aww, you're so sweet to worry about me."

Emma's knees started wobbling.

Following Bethany's cue, Kahuna extended his hand. "Bra, anybody who can paint a board like that is cool by me!" Smiling back, Mina shook it…and Kahuna instantly paled. "Uh…y-you know what? I…I think I left a can of board-paint open – better go close it before it dries!"

As The Kahuna ran off, Johnny blinked. "What was that about?"

"Beats me, bro," Reef said.

Charmina glanced back to Emma, Fin, and Lo. "That reminds me: I think you said you needed to be somewhere," she remarked, as her eyebrows dipped low, darkening her smile. "Shouldn't you get going, now?"

Biting her lip, Emma took one step backwards, then another…before breaking into a run, racing back towards the staff-house, hoping no-one noticed her eyes going misty.

By the time Fin and Lo caught up to her, Emma was all-out bawling, sitting alone on the staff-house porch. Stricken, Lo sat down next to her. "Oh, sweetie, don't cry!" she soothed. "It'll be okay…"

""Okay"?" Emma wailed. "Did you see what I'm up against? Not only is that "Charmina" a way better surfer than me, she's completely, utterly, supermodel-gorgeous! How am I supposed to compete with that?"

Fin sat down on her other side. "Okay, in case you didn't hear, Alberta, she's also a total witch. Sooner or later, Johnny'll see that."

"Not likely!" Emma sobbed. "You saw how she acted all sweet around him! She keeps that up, and he'll never see past her!"

Lo looked determined. "Then it's up to us to make sure Johnny sees that little troll for the skank she is!"

Fin nodded in agreement. "I'm with you, Lo," she agreed. "Something is up with her! I've been on the competitive surf-circuit since forever, and even I have trouble with some of the tricks she pulled! And I'm supposed to believe some bitchy no-name can outdo me? I don't think so!"

Emma started to smile. "R-Really?" she asked. "Thanks."

"Anytime, homegirl," Fin said. "So, what's our first step?"

"First, we need to find out what she and Johnny are going to do together," Lo said. "And then, we do whatever it takes to make her bitch out in front of Johnny – the second he sees Little Miss Two Face's nasty side, he'll drop her."

"Okay," Emma said, "but how? Johnny's not gonna tell us, and Charmina definitely won't!"

Fin thought about it…and smirked. "No worries, sister: I think I know who the weak link is…"

XXXXXXXX

"Man, I thought that shift would never end!"

Looking just as exhausted as Kevin was, Ben, in his bellhop uniform, sagged against the currently-empty front desk, weary from his latest marathon of running back and forth between hotel suites. "You said it, Kev," he agreed.

In his own uniform, Kevin stood up to stretch. "At least payday's this week."

Ben nodded. "Always a good thing," he agreed. "And now we get to hit the waves."

Kevin smirked. "And see our girlfriends in swimsuits."

Ben grinned goofily at the thought of Lo…until the second half of Kevin's statement hit him. "Dude, that's my cousin you're ogling. Not when I'm in earshot, okay?"

Kevin snorted. "Says the guy attached to Lo Ridgemount's lips every chance he gets."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine; yes, Lo and I are affectionate. Sue me…"

"Dudes, you are not gonna believe this!"

Reef's exclamation came just as he, Broseph, Johnny, and The Kahuna walked into the Lobbyquarium. "Front Desk Guy hooked up with a total uberfox at the Quintuple Overhead, last night!" Reef added.

Broseph nodded. "Plus, said betty pulled off some totally gnarly moves on the waves, just now! Even Fin was bug-eyed!"

Johnny chuckled. "Okay, guys. You're all impressed; we can move on, now."

Kevin smirked. "Finally decided to leave the Friend-Zone, huh? About time."

Johnny shrugged. "I'm a new man."

Ben looked grave. "So…you and Emma are still okay, right?"

"Nothing's changed, Ben. I'm pretty sure Emma still thinks of me as "just a friend." The only difference is that I'm not going to bother to expect more of her."

Broseph winced. "Whoa…a little cold, bro."

The Kahuna looked haunted. "Dude, I didn't wanna say this in front of her, but I gotta tell you something about your new flame…"

"Hey, guys!"

Turning, Ben smiled as he saw Lo, Fin, and a slightly-bruised Gwen walk into the lobby, all holding their boards. "Rough sesh?"

Wincing, Gwen shrugged. "At first," she confessed. "But I'm getting there."

Fin nodded. "Fret not, Red: the blood of the Madcap is at work. You'll be shredding in no time."

Turning to Lo, Ben gulped as he noted Lo's sour expression. "Lo? Is everything okay?"

Lo lightly huffed. "No, baby, everything's not okay," she said, glaring at Johnny. "I'm still flavoured at this tool for what he pulled!"

Johnny folded his arms. "Let it go, Lo."

Ben was lost. "Come again?"

"I'm assuming you heard about Johnny's little expedition, last night," Fin said dryly. "Which reminds me." Reaching out, she slapped Reef upside the head.

"Ow!" Reef winced as he rubbed his head. "What the hell was that for?"

Fin's expression was furious. "Duh! This whole mess is practically your fault, Chowderhead!" she snapped. "Lo and I were finally making progress getting Emma to like Johnny, and then you drag him to that stupid club and screw it all up!"

Johnny's expression was flat. "Guys."

Reef glared back. "Oh, what? So the bro was just supposed to wait around for her to happen to notice him? I don't think so, betty!"

Johnny's eye started to tick. "Guys."

"Oh, like your idea was so much better?" Fin shot back. "Instead of being a bit patient for a nice girl to wise up, you dragged him out to find some nasty little..!"

"GUYS!"

Johnny's shout silenced them both, while his annoyed stare made Reef and Fin freeze. "Reef, I am perfectly capable of speaking for myself, thank you."

Reef looked embarrassed. "Oh, yeah," he said. "My bad, bro."

Glancing to the Fin and Lo, Johnny continued. "Fin, Lo, I appreciate what you were trying to do, but at this point, I have to accept that Emma and I aren't going to happen," he added. "Trying to force things won't help."

Lo looked stricken. "Johnny, Emma does like you!" she insisted. "She just finally got over Ty..!"

"Lo, it's just too late," Johnny countered. "I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but it's the truth."

Fin frowned. "You mean you're actually going to ignore a nice girl for a…a total witch?"

Johnny's eyes narrowed. "That's not necessary, Fin. You don't even know her."

"Neither do you!" Lo accused. "The second you left to get your Mom, Mina totally bitched out on us!"

Johnny arched an eyebrow. "Were the three of you acting like you're acting now?"

Fin paused. "Uh…"

Johnny sighed. "Then it sounds like she was provoked," he said. "Yes, I admit, I don't know everything about her, but I think something's there. I'll thank you to respect that."

Lo huffed. "Ben! Say something!"

Ben gulped. "Lo, neither of us have even seen this 'Mina' girl; we can't exactly comment."

Kevin chuckled. "I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that a girl actually went out with Front Desk Goof."

"Funny, Levin," Johnny muttered. "Mina just had to head back to her room for a minute, that's all. I was hoping to have dinner with her, this evening: if you like, I can introduce you."

At the shift in conversation, Lo stamped her foot. "Ben, is it so much to ask for you to support your girlfriend?" she said. "Ugh!" With an irately haughty toss of her hair over her shoulder, she stormed off.

Fin didn't look much happier. "Way to drop the ball, States," she muttered, before she followed Lo.

Looking guilty, Johnny scratched his head. "Didn't mean to put you in the doghouse, Ben."

"Pfft! Whatever!" Reef said. "They're just flavoured 'cause Johnny realized he can do better!"

Johnny chuckled. "Right. I'm what got Fin mad."

The sarcasm flew over Reef's head. "Yeah, I know!"

Johnny sighed. "Regardless, I'd better make sure Kelly hasn't got the DR booked up, tonight," he said. "If so, my only recourse is groveling."

Broseph gulped. "Whoa, major harshage imminent, man."

"Tell me about it," Johnny agreed. "Still, Mina's worth a few dings to my pride."

"Maybe, but this is Kelly you're talking about," Ben warned. "You'd be lucky to get away with your soul."

Johnny groaned. "Thanks, man."

The Kahuna spoke up again. "My advice, bro? Ditch that betty, and fast!"

Reef went bug-eyed. "Kahuna, have you lost it? Did you see her? Total Ten-Plus!"

Kahuna met Johnny's gaze, his face grave. "Yeah, bro, I saw her," he said. "I was gonna give you a high-five…until I shook her hand."

Johnny blinked. "And?"

"You don't get it, man! You know how I picked up Ben's messed-up aura, when I shook his hand?"

Ben smiled nervously. "Yeah, I remember," he said quickly. "That's cleared up, right?"

"Totally, dude…but the point is, that's nothing compared to what hit me when I shook hers!" Kahuna exclaimed. "That's one bad betty, bro! My whole arm went numb from her aura – we're talking pitch-black! She's into some majorly bad mojo! Lose her, and fast!"

Johnny frowned. "You, too, Kahuna?" he asked. "You don't know her any more than Fin and Lo!"

Kevin wasn't as sceptical. "Maybe, man, but he kinda called Ben right."

Kahuna blinked. "Huh?"

"Nothing major, Kahuna," Ben said quickly. "So, what's she up to?"

"Dunno, bro – I couldn't get any specifics off of the mondo bad karma she was giving off," Kahuna answered. "All I could tell is she's up to something gnarly, and not the good kind!"

Johnny frowned. "Aw, come on, Kahuna!" he complained. "Okay, so I don't know everything about Mina! That doesn't automatically mean she's bad!"

"The auras do not lie, bro."

Johnny turned to go. "Well, I'm betting they can get mixed-up!" he retorted. "I gotta go, guys. I'll see you, later…and it won't be to talk about this, again!"

As Johnny walked off, Kevin arched an eyebrow. "So Front Desk Guy hooks up, and gets a spine-transplant in the same day?" he asked. "Something's up."

Ben nodded. "Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to look into "Mina's" history."

Kahuna still looked nervous. "Be careful with that one, dude. Betty was kickin' out some gi-normous bad vibes! You don't wanna mess with that kinda bad karma!"

"We'll take our chances, Kahuna," Ben replied. "If something is up with this girl, we can't let her mess Johnny up."

Kevin chuckled. "Plus, you'll need something when you go grovelling to Lo."

Ben sighed. "Only if I'm wrong, Kevin. Only if I'm wrong."

XXXXXXXX

"No, baby; you don't have to do that! I'll take care of our dinner reservations!"

Her bikini exchanged for black yoga pants and a magenta halter, Charmcaster walked out of her suite, her phone to her ear and a sweet smile on her face to match her voice. "It's no trouble, Mina," Johnny answered her. "I've got ten minutes before my shift's over, so I'll just run down to the DR and book us a table…"

"…and have to deal with that meanie Kelly? I won't hear of it!" Charmcaster insisted. "You work so hard; this is the least I can do!"

"Really, it's no…"

Mina quivered her lip. "Pleeeeeeaaase?"

Johnny sighed. "Okay, okay, Mina. Just don't say I didn't warn you about Kelly."

Charmcaster giggled. "Thank you, baby!" she cooed. "I'll call you as soon as I have a time! Kisses!" With that, she ended the call.

"Lo, I wanted to get dirt on Mina, not mess you and Ben up!"

Darting behind a corner, Charmcaster peered around it in time to see Fin, Emma, and Lo walk down an adjacent corridor, all in uniform…along with another redhead who made her mystic senses tingle. Charmcaster's eyes narrowed balefully as she recognized her.

"Please, Emma. Ben and I aren't "messed up,"" Lo said. "I just had to remind him about the idea of the united front."

Gwen snorted. "Yeah, because you're always right, Ridgemount."

Lo frowned back. "Funny, Gwen."

"Okay, enough already!" Fin shouted. "Can we focus on what's important, here?"

Lo calmed down. "Right. First things first: Emma and I get a shift for Johnny's date, and then we make her bitch out in front of him!"

Charmcaster's eyes narrowed…before she smiled. 'This could work…'

Gwen sighed. "Just don't do anything too stupid, okay?" she asked. "Anyway, Fin and I had better get going."

Fin nodded. "The couple in Room 1028 just headed out to the beach…after their 3-Bean Burrito breakfasts. We're gonna need gas-masks…again."

Emma winced. "Ew."

"Yeah. We know," Fin agreed, before smiling. "Good luck, Alberta – show that snotty witch who's boss!"

Charmcaster rolled her eyes. 'Good luck with that, carrot-top.' Darting out of sight, she raced to the elevator, to catch it before Emma and Lo could, and took it to the Lobby. From there, it was a short dash to the DR, where the head-waitress – Kelly – was waiting at the greeter's stand. Flashing her most disarming smile, Charmcaster walked up to the eye-patched girl. "Hi!" she greeted. "My beau and I were hoping to have dinner here, tonight. Could you squeeze us in?"

With a frown, Kelly half-glanced at the reservation list. "Oh, so sorry: we're all booked up."

Charmcaster chewed the side of her lip. "Are you sure? We wouldn't be staying long, and we'd settle for a little table for two."

"Sorry. We're packed."

Noting that Kelly's expression was anything but sorry, Charmcaster frowned, her hands moving to her hips. "Okay, Eye-patch, let's cut the crap," she snapped. "I need a reservation here, tonight."

Kelly frowned back. "Too bad, Prom-Queen. You should've booked earlier."

Charmcaster's eyes narrowed. "You'd better rephrase that, missy, before I get annoyed."

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots!" Kelly retorted. "What're you gonna..?"

"Kelly?" Emma's voice interrupted them as she and Lo walked in. "Think we could get an extra shift for…"

"I so don't have time for you and Princess, Carrot-top!" Kelly shouted. "Get to work!"

As Emma and Lo hurried inside, Charmcaster watched the exchange warily…before a sly smile crossed her face. "You know, I think we've both been going about this the wrong way!" she exclaimed. "Fact Number One: you don't like your co-workers."

"Fact Number Two: nobody likes them."

Charmcaster giggled. "In that case, Kelly, consider me your new best friend!" she said. "Fact Number Three: despite Fact Number One, you haven't been able to fire them, which means they've got friends higher up…such as a certain front-desk-manning junior manager?"

Kelly looked sour. "Your point?"

Charmcaster smirked. "Just this." Her expression changed to one of tearful dismay. "Oh, John, I just had the worst evening! I was trying to book a reservation for us, but your friends in the DR were just so horrible to me!"

Kelly's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "You have my undivided attention."

"I thought you'd take notice," Charmcaster remarked, shedding her distressed tone. "It's simple: give John and I a reservation, and when your two little pests give me crappy service, I'll cry to my beau, you back me up, and poof! Both our problems are solved!"

Now Kelly was smirking. "Talk lover-boy into giving me a 20 percent raise, and you've got a deal."

Charmcaster frowned. "Ten percent raise, and you give us a complimentary bowl of garlic bread."

Kelly didn't give up. "Seventeen percent, and you get a free small basket of breadsticks."

Charmcaster sighed. "Thirteen percent, and we get a free basket of blueberry muffins, half of which we'll leave for you."

Kelly smiled. "You're good!" As Charmcaster shrugged with a brief hm, Kelly pored over the bookings. "Well, what do you know! There is a spot! It opens in fifteen!" she exclaimed. "I overbooked, so I guess Mr. and Mrs. Marvin will have to let their darling boys go explode hot-dogs somewhere else!"

Charmcaster smiled. "I thought you might see it my way." She craned her neck towards Emma and Lo. "One more thing: I'm pretty sure those two mean to try and mess up my date," she said, "so be sure and give them my table tonight so Johnny can see them do it, will you?"

Kelly laughed. "Damn, girl! Did I say you were good?" she exclaimed. "You're a freakin' Picasso!"

Charmcaster's smile became sly. "And don't forget it, girlfriend," she finished. "See you!" With that, she walked off.

Rounding a corner, Charmcaster frowned thoughtfully. 'That takes care of those two, but Gwen and her dumb cousin are still a problem. I'll need to get them out of the way for a few hours.' Once she was certain the coast was clear, she closed her eyes, focusing her mana, bending it to her will…before she sent it out into the world.

Had she begun her spell just a few moments later, she might have seen a pair of brown pigtails peeking out from behind a potted plant, along with a pair of frightened brown eyes gazing at her through the leaves.

XXXXXXXX

From behind one of the many potted plants in the Lobbyquarium, Ben and Kevin both peered out through the foliage, making sure the coast was clear. "Looks like Johnny took off early," Ben observed.

Kevin nodded. "It's now or never, Tennyson."

Ben didn't argue, as they quickly darted to Johnny's empty front desk. Taking a crouching position behind the desk, keeping an eye out for approaching guests – or worse, Bummer on his rare break – Ben glanced up briefly. "Any luck?"

As he rapidly typed away at Johnny's computer, Kevin grinned. "Piece of cake, man. Hotel security programs are nothing compared to the firewalls I've practiced hacking back when I used to…well, back in the day."

Ben frowned. "Should Gwen know you can hack stuff?"

"Should Princess see any of your "Who's Your Hero" moments from when you were ten?" Kevin's smirk was practically audible. "Back when I "borrowed" the Rustbucket, I downloaded a couple of Max's vacation videos, just in case I needed blackmail material."

Ben paled. "Never mind," he said. "Any detail on this "Charmina"?"

Kevin looked thoughtful. "Hang on…okay, here we go," he reported. "This is weird: all that's on file is her name. No credit-card, no forwarding address, no contact info…hell, not even a last name. You'd think a stickler for the rules like Front Desk would get that."

Ben stood up to take a look. "Definitely weird," he agreed. "Did he at least put in a photo?"

"Think so," Kevin answered, as he clicked on a JPEG file…and did a double-take. "Damn. Not bad, St. James."

Glancing at the platinum-haired girl, Ben frowned thoughtfully. "Hey…she kinda looks familiar…"

"AAAIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

At that multitude of screams, Ben and Kevin stood up in time to see numerous hotel patrons run into the hotel, the Marvin family among them. "Mrs. M., what's wrong?" Ben asked, moving to intercept them.

The Marvin matriarch almost bowled him over, her husband close behind with their kids in tow. "M-Monsters! On the beach!"

The Marvin boys were less alarmed. "Mooooom!" Mark whined. "We wanna go see!"

As the Marvins made tracks, Ben and Kevin were racing out the door, with Ben fishing out his badge. "Gwen, we've got trouble!" he exclaimed. "We've got a monster-sighting at the beach..!"

"Yeah, and at downtown Sunset Beach!" Gwen replied. "I just heard it on the news, Ben! Our rocky friends are tearing up the streets!"

Ben grimaced. "We're gonna have to split up!" he instructed. "I'll deal with them here; you and Kevin get downtown and handle them there!"

Gwen sighed. "So much for saving my break for when I needed it…okay, Ben. Kevin, I'll meet you at your car!"

"Cool by me," Kevin answered, as Ben flipped his badge shut. "You've got this?"

"Sure, Kevin; I'll be fine." With a nod, Kevin turned and headed to meet Gwen at the car, while Ben darted into the brush. Racing through the foliage, he was mere meters away from the beach – judging by the screams – which prompted him to pop up the Omnitrix's dial, selecting XLR8…

…only for it to shift seconds before his hand slammed it down, causing the emerald glow to leave a different form in its wake. "RATH!" the new Ben declared…before he scowled. "AW, DAMN IT!" His selection made for him, all he could do was keep going.

Emerging from the brush, Rath stormed onto the beach, right into the middle of a crowd of fleeing patrons, dashing away from a quartet of rocky golems, infused with the same mauve energy as the kind he'd fought at the museum. As one golem grabbed the nearby lifeguard tower – where a panicked Ripper was hanging on for dear life – Rath saw red. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, ROCK-HEAD! NOBODY GOES AFTER BEACH-GOERS ON RATH'S WATCH!" Crouching low, Rath pounced at the golem, knocking him to the ground with a tackle. The golem tried to get to its feet, but Rath popped out his wrist-claws, slicing its head off and turning it to dust.

As Rath got to his feet, Ripper inched down from his perch, cautiously approaching Rath. "Uh…t-thanks, mate."

Rath shrugged. "KAY." He glanced towards two of the remaining golems, who were heading towards him. "YOU'D BETTER GO."

Ripper gulped. "R-Right!" With that, he ran off.

With Ripper clear, Rath turned to the two charging golems, in time to duck under one's roundhouse kick, and counter with a clawed uppercut that smashed its rocky head to pieces. As he turned to the second, he was knocked clear off his feet by the boulder that the golem threw at him…which only made him madder. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, PEBBLE-BRAIN! NOBODY SUCKER-PUNCHES RATH AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

The golem never stood a chance. Racing at it, Rath leaped early, to land and roll forward into a handspring double-heel kick, his clawed feet tearing the rock-monster in half. With the golem now nothing but sand, Rath looked around for the last one…and spotted it cornering a little African-Canadian kid, in a pink swimsuit, her hair in pigtails, screaming her head off.

Rath's facial fur went from orange to blood-red. "HURTING. LITTLE KIDS. IS. NOT. COOL!"

The golem barely had a chance to turn before Rath barrelled into it, grabbing and lifting it above his head, to slam it down onto his knee, turning it to dust. His foes destroyed, Rath let out a roar of triumph…before remembering he had an audience. As he looked down at the kid, Rath gulped. "UH…YOU OKAY?"

Rath was expecting the kid to freak out screaming…so her giddy smile took him off-guard. "Tigger!"

As the kid hugged his leg, Rath was dumbstruck. "HUH?"

The little girl was on autopilot. "I'm so happy to see you! I thought I'd left you back at my house with Winnie, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Piglet!" she chirped. "Are they here, too?"

Rath frowned glumly – she thought he was her toy come to life. "NO," he said. "JUST ME."

"Oh." The kid looked him over. "Wow, Tigger, you got big!"

"UH…YEAH," Rath said. "BEEN WORKIN' OUT."

The little girl beamed. "Are you gonna bounce?"

Rath scowled. "NO!"

The kid started sniffling. "But…b-but why not?"

Rath immediately felt guilty. "UH…UH…" he stammered, thinking fast, "…'CAUSE I HAVEN'T WORKED OUT MY TAIL, YET!" He turned around, and pointed to his stubby tail. "SEE?"

Thankfully, that was enough to calm the girl. "Okay," she relented glumly. "But you will after you do, right? Promise?"

Rath sighed. "SURE."

"Melanie? Melanie, where are you?"

The little girl perked up. "That's Mommy!" she exclaimed. "I gotta tell her that Jon-Jon's girlfriend's really a mean old witch!"

Rath blinked. '"Jon-Jon"?' This had to be Johnny's little sister. He was about to ask what she meant…when the control-dial on his chest started flaring. "UH…GOTTA GO, LITTLE LADY!" he said. "JUST REMEMBERED I'D SCHEDULED A WORKOUT!" With that, he dashed into the woods before the little girl – Melanie – could protest…and just before the Omnitrix timed out.

Back to normal, Ben waited a few seconds before he walked further into the woods, and then stepped onto the beach, doubling back to find Melanie and her Mom. "It's true, Mommy!" Melanie exclaimed. "Tigger was right here, and he was all big and muscly from working out! He had to go work on his tail, 'cause he couldn't bounce right since he was so big!"

Mrs. St. James sighed with a smile. "Honestly, Melanie, you and your imagination…"

Melanie pouted. "It's true!" she asserted, before she looked scared. "B-But we gotta find Jon-Jon, Mommy! Mina's not a princess! She's a mean old witch in disguise!"

"Melanie!" her mother scolded. "That's not nice!"

"But it's true, Mommy! Just now, I saw her talking with another mean girl to get Jon-Jon's friends in trouble! And then she did a magic spell – I think it made the rock-monsters that Tigger fought! I ran down here to find Jon-Jon or his friends, and then they came after everybody..!"

"That's quite enough, young lady! You're letting your imagination run away with you!"

Clearing his throat, Ben walked over. "Ma'am? Everything okay?"

Looking up, Mrs. St. James sighed. "Yes, we're fine," she answered. "My youngest is just imagining things."

"I'm not imagining, Mommy! I saw it!"

Ben scratched his head. "Well, ma'am, there have been some unusual things going on here, lately," he admitted. "I was just talking to my pal Johnny about it."

Melanie perked up. "You know Jon-Jon?" She raced over to him. "Y-You gotta warn him! I think Mina's gonna do something bad!"

"Melanie!" Quickly, Mrs. St. James reigned her daughter in. "I'm so sorry; she's not usually like this," she said. "Like me, she's probably worried about her brother dating some silver-haired charmer."

Her words gave Ben's memory the boot it needed. His eyes went wide. "Actually, Mrs. St. James, I think your daughter might be onto something!" he exclaimed. "If you could, I'd like you to try and call Johnny, and tell him to call Ben; he'll know what to do! I'm gonna try and track him down!"

With that, Ben was off and running, heading back to the hotel – specifically, the DR – hoping he wasn't too late…

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes earlier

"I'm still not sure about this, Lo."

As they waited for Johnny and Charmina from the kitchen, Lo calmly shrugged. "You need to relax, Emma," she assured her friend. "Trust me: I know uberbitches like her. One bit of bad service, and out comes Madam Medusa, right in time to tape it!"

Emma still looked stricken. "But what if Kelly catches us?" she asked. "She'll make our lives hell!"

Lo snorted. "And we would notice how?" Her eyes went wide. "Here they come!"

Peeking out the window, Emma felt her heart compress again as she took in the sight of a formal/casually-dressed Johnny: black slacks, a white shirt, and a black jacket. Her anguish quickly turned green-eyed as she saw the slinky, mid-thigh-length, strapless mauve cocktail dress Mina had poured herself into, her shimmery silver tresses woven into a long, elegant braid over her left ear. 'It is just not FAIR for anyone to look like that!'

Guiding his date to her seat, Johnny smiled as he sat down across from her. "I still don't know how you did it," he said. "I've worked with Kelly for months, and if I'd asked for a late reservation, I'd have been tarred and feathered!"

Charmina shrugged prettily. "What can I say? I just have an effect on people," she answered, as she reached to trace a circle on Johnny's hand with her fingertip. "You know, like you have on me."

As Emma flinched, Lo rolled her eyes. "Brother, talk about spreading it with a tractor."

Miraculously, Johnny kept cool. "And you're okay with eating this early?"

"Perfectly!" Mina leaned in closer, her nose inches from his. "It gives us more time after."

Thankfully, Kelly showed up before Emma and Lo could start gagging…but the smile on her face almost made them heave, anyway. "Hi, you two!" she chimed. "Can I get you anything?"

Wide-eyed, Johnny was almost too freaked to answer. "Uh…could we start with some garlic bread?"

Mina pouted. "Actually, John, I'm kinda in the mood for some blueberry muffins."

"Oh. Sure," Johnny amended. "Muffins it is, then."

"Super!" Kelly said. "And for your main course?"

Charmina beamed, as she laced her hand with Johnny's. "What would you recommend for a romantic dinner?"

Kelly's smile turned knowing. "Personally, I'd recommend the lobster and steak, with Le Chef's secret sauce – nothing finer!" she said. "And this is your first dinner, together?"

Looking to Mina, Johnny smiled. "The first of many."

Emma suppressed a sniffle.

Kelly clasped her hands. "In that case, you two should be at one of our window-seats!" she exclaimed, ushering them into a larger booth by a window. "Much more romatic, wouldn't you say?"

Glancing out at the view, Mina nodded. "Definitely! Thank you so much!"

Kelly waved her off. "Oh, it's no trouble! You two are so cute together!" she answered. "I'll be right back with your orders!"

As Kelly walked off, a pale Johnny looked at Mina with mild terror. "Okay, now I'm scared!" he exclaimed. "The only time Kelly is that happy is when she's up to something!"

Mina waved him off with a giggle. "Oh, you're exaggerating, John!" she said. "I had a lovely talk with her, earlier – I think we hit it off."

Johnny blinked. "You had a lovely talk," he repeated. "With Kelly." He gulped. "Mina…did she ask you to sign any paperwork? Any contracts? Written in blood?"

Mina laughed, as she swatted him playfully. "Shame on you, John! You're terrible!" she teased. "She's nowhere near as bad as you think!"

Johnny was sceptical. "Riiiiiiiiight."

As Kelly walked over to them, Emma quickly tore her eyes away from Johnny and Mina, looking casual. "Consider this your lucky day, you two," Kelly said, sounding more like her usual self. "I put Johnny and his girl in your zone – provided you don't screw up, you may get a good tip. Don't ever say I'm not a great boss."

Lo rolled her eyes. "Perish the thought." Once Kelly was out of earshot, she added, "Okay, Emma, you remember the drill? What do we do the second Johnny steps away?"

Emma looked guilty. "Bug-flavored water."

Lo nodded. "Then what?"

"Juggling entrees."

"Right!" Lo said. "And our big finish?"

Emma sighed. "Marvin-style spaghetti and meatballs."

"Exactly!" Lo declared. "If that doesn't make her throw a fit, nothing will!" Smirking, she fished out her phone. "And I'll have it all on video for Johnny to see."

Emma chewed her lip nervously. "Lo, I really don't think this is a good idea – it seems really mean..!"

"Do you want her to go bitchy on Johnny after she sticks her claws in?" Lo asked. "Because she will, Emma. Trust me on that one. The sooner we show Johnny what she's really like, the better!" Looking over Emma's shoulder, she smiled as she saw Johnny stand up, heading to the washroom. "Go-time, girl!" With that, she darted towards the appetizer cart, while Emma moved to the water-tray.

With Johnny gone, Mina casually opened her purse to check her PDA, before she snapped it shut as Emma walked over. "Oh, it's you."

Emma forced a smile. "Care for a glass of water?"

Mina shrugged as she took the lone glass. "I suppose so." She inched the glass up to her lips…and stopped with a disgusted frown. "There's a bug in this!"

Feigning surprise, Emma gasped at the sight of the big beetle floating in the water. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I'll get you a new one, right away!"

Mina was glaring at her. "See that you do."

As Emma took the water away, Lo smirked as she saw Mina's temper start to peer out. Wheeling the appetizer cart over, she placed a dish on the table. "Here you go!" she chirped. "One garlic bread, just like you ordered!"

Mina's eyebrow ticked. "I ordered blueberry muffins."

Lo played dumb. "You did?"

A puff of air escaped from Mina's nose. "Yes. I did," she hissed. "Anyone with half a brain would have known..!"

"Everything alright?"

As Johnny walked back into view, Mina quickly hid her ire behind a coy smile. "No, baby, everything's fine!" she chimed. "Just a little mix-up with our appetizers."

All smiles, Lo nodded. "Sorry about that, Johnny. I could have sworn you asked for garlic bread."

One eyebrow raised, Johnny nodded. "Okay, then. No harm done."

Sniffing, Mina let out a little sneeze. "Actually, John, could you get me a tissue?" she asked. "The garlic bread is making me a bit stuffy."

"Of course, sweetheart."

As Johnny headed back to the bathroom, Lo hurried to Emma's side. "This is our best chance, Emma! She's already flavoured! I didn't even have to do multiple mix-ups!"

Glancing at the small plate of spaghetti and meatballs – with the hidden packets of pressurized vinegar and baking-soda that the Marvin twins used to explode hot dogs – Emma still looked unsure. "There's no other way?"

"Not if we want to get her on video while Johnny's gone, Emma!"

Emma drooped in resignation. "Okay." With that, she took the plate and walked out.

As Emma walked over, Mina's eyes narrowed once she saw the platter. "I don't recall ordering any pasta."

"I know," Emma said. "I just felt really bad about the bug-glass incident, so I talked the chef into an extra appetizer, on the house!"

Mina calmed down. "Oh. Well…good. Thank you."

Her dish delivered, Emma headed back to the kitchen, to fetch the cart of desserts she had to deliver. She was just about to head out when she saw Lo at the door, phone in hand. "Has she chowed down, yet?"

Lo shook her head. "She just started," she answered. "The second she hits that packet, splat!" She chuckled. "And you'll have a front-row seat to uberbitch freak-out!"

Emma didn't feel quite so proud. "Yeah," she agreed glumly. "I'd better go." With that, she wheeled the cart out of the kitchen.

After handing out most of the desserts – with only a banana cream pie left – Emma happened to glance towards Mina's table…and froze.

Calmly sitting in her seat, Mina was just munching on her third forkful of pasta, utterly untouched.

Evidently, she wasn't the only one who'd realized their plan had failed; Lo promptly hurried out of the kitchen, faking a smile as she joined Emma by Mina's table. "Is…everything okay?"

Putting her cutlery down, Mina smiled confidently. "Just fine," she remarked, leaning back. "I have only one concern."

She reached under her napkin, and pulled out the vinegar-soda packet. "Did you actually think I'd fall for such a childish prank?"

Emma and Lo both wore expressions of horror, with the same thought. 'Busted.'

Mina just smirked. "You know, I actually thought even you two were above things like this," she sneered, "but you've managed to fall short of even my lowest expectations. Bravo."

Emma's eyes narrowed, as she clenched her fists.

Mina kept going. "Poor John; I feel so bad for him," she said. "He actually had to scrape the bottom of the barrel around here. It's worthy of a Greek tragedy."

Emma felt her blood start to boil.

Mina didn't let up. "To think, a quality man like him was hung up on some kookish, incompetent Plain Jane…"

Looking back, Emma would never have been able to tell exactly when she'd done it. All she knew was that the pie was already in her hand when she pulled back to throw. "Shut UP, you scummy little TROLL!"

Emma's aim was perfect, as the pie hit Charmina dead in the face, splatting banana cream filling all over her head, reaching down to her neck and around the back of her head, getting tangled in her hair. Her mocking tirade silenced, Mina wiped the pie from her bewildered eyes, suppressing a sniffle…before she started to cry.

Despite her guilt, Emma couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction at shutting Mina up…but it was short-lived. "What the HELL?"

Frozen to the spot, Emma turned, and found an utterly furious Johnny standing there. "J-Johnny?" she stammered. "This…this isn't what it looks…"

"I saw you throw that pie, Emma!" Johnny exploded. "It's exactly what it looked like!"

Her earlier malice masked, Mina was all teary whimpers. "I-I don't understand! W-Why would…what did I do..?"

Lo glared at her. "Oh, like you weren't talking trash about..!"

"Both of you, SHUT UP!" Johnny roared. "I don't want to hear a word from either of you!" He glared at Lo. "I should've known you wouldn't let this fixation of yours go, Ridgemount…but you, Emma," he promptly shifted his gaze, "I actually expected better from you. You I thought knew better."

Those words cut Emma far worse than anything she'd seen Johnny and Mina do.

As Mina sniffled, Johnny moved to her side, enfolding her in a protective embrace. "I'm so sorry, baby," he soothed. "It's all okay, now."

"Okay, lovebirds, I've got your basket of – oh my God!" Kelly's greeting turned to a cry of dismay as she rushed over. "What happened?"

Johnny fixed another glare at the two waitresses. "Emma and Lo happened, that's what."

Stricken, Kelly moved to Mina's side, using her apron to dab away some of the pie. "Oh, honey, are you okay?"

Mina sniffled. "I…I think so."

Kelly's smile turned to a glower as she looked at Emma and Lo. "You know, I thought you two couldn't go any lower," she snapped, "but every time I do, you two take it as a personal challenge!"

As Mina cuddled closer to Johnny, Emma swore she could see his eyes flare pink. "Kelly…are you saying this is a regular occurrence for them?"

"The pie-tossing? No, that's a new low," Kelly said, "but let's just say it's not out of character for them."

Emma went pale. "Johnny, wait a minute..!"

Johnny silenced her with a raised hand. "Kelly, I owe you an apology. I always assumed that all your complaints were unfounded – that I could trust these two more than you," he said. "Clearly, that was a mistake, but fortunately, it's not one I have to live with." He turned back to Lo and Emma. "Emma. Lo. Out. Now."

Emma blinked. "W-What?"

"Do I have to spell it out?" Johnny snapped. "Get off this floor, get to your lockers and clean them out. You two are done here."

Lo was incredulous. "You're…you're firing us?"

"If this is how you treat guests, Ridgemount, then you have no business being at this hotel," Johnny shot back. "Kelly, Mr. Baumer will have my recommendation by the morning. Right now, I need to get Mina cleaned up." Gently, he led Charmina out of the DR. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get out of here." With a tearful nod, Mina let Johnny lead her away…but as she passed by, she fixed Emma with a cruelly triumphant smile.

Emma was dumbstruck. 'She…she played US!'

Her thoughts were dispelled by Kelly shoving them out of the DR. "I'd say it was nice working with you two, but we both know that'd be a lie!" she cackled. "So long, good-bye, don't come back, whatever! Out!"

Just like that, Emma and Lo were left outside the DR. "Wha…what just happened?" Lo cried. "When Daddy hears about this, I'm dead…or worse, disinherited..!"

"She played us, Lo."

Emma's flat statement startled Lo out of her dismay. "What?"

"Charmina. She played us!" Emma muttered. "She must've caught on to what we were up to, and set us up! I bet Kelly was in on it, too!"

Lo gasped. "I knew something was up with her being nice! Urrggh!" she shouted. "Okay, okay, calm down; we just need to figure out what to do…"

""Do"?" Emma repeated. "Lo, there's nothing we can do! You heard Johnny!" She sniffled. "He…he hates us, now!" Her eyes stung. "Especially me!"

Lo looked sad. "Emma…"

"It's my own fault!" Emma wailed. "Mina was right! I didn't see what was right in front of me, and now it's gone, and I don't even have a job anymore, which means…oh God, I can't surf The Office, anymore!"

As Emma broke down, Lo moved to hug her. "Oh, Emma, don't cry!" she soothed. "Look, I'll just say it was my fault, okay? I dragged you into this stupid scheme!"

"I still went along with it!" Emma cried. "I just have to face it, Lo! Mina won, and there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Johnny! Johnny, we've got a big problem!"

Ben's shout reached their ears just before Ben himself raced up to them, gasping for breath. "Lo, where's Johnny?" Ben asked. "Wait…shouldn't you two be in the DR?"

Emma burst into sobs. "Not anymore!" she bawled. "Mina got us fired!"

Ben's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, sounds like something she'd do."

Lo frowned. "Oh, now you agree with me?"

"Lo, there's no time to argue about this – I just found out who Johnny's new flame really is!" Ben declared, as he fished out his Plumber's badge, which projected a holo-image of a pre-teen girl, with silver hair, in a long, mauve overcoat. "She look familiar?"

Emma studied the image, and shook her head. "Not really…although there is something about her…"

"Just let me age her image forward a few years," Ben said, as the image matured. "How about now?"

Lo gasped. "Oh my God…that's her!"

Ben nodded. "Say hello to Charmcaster, another one of the baddies from my early years," he muttered. "She's a nasty little spell-slinger, who used to work with her uncle Hex. It looks like she just went solo."

"Wait…back in the DR, it looked like Johnny's eyes were glowing!" Emma cried. "She was doing it! That little cow was using magic to mess with Johnny!"

"Bingo," Ben said. "That's why we need to warn him! Is he still here?"

Lo shook her head. "They left just a few minutes ago."

"Then we need to find them, and fast!" Ben declared. "Gwen and Kevin should be on their way back; I'll radio them and let them know Charmcaster's on the prowl! You two get the others and start searching!"

Lo brightened. "So…if the spell wears off, we may not be fired?"

"Priorities, Lo," Ben said. "First we save our friend, then we worry about your career." Lo didn't argue, as the three of them split up and hurried off, hoping it wasn't too late…

XXXXXXXX

Museum of Natural History

"Mina, again, I am so sorry about tonight."

As he and his date – who had, almost magically, recovered from her pie-facial after only a few minutes in the hotel restroom – walked into the Museum, Johnny was still aghast by his friends' actions. "I had no idea that Lo and Emma – but probably Lo most of all – would do that…but I should've…"

Mina's hand on his arm was soothing. "It's okay, John. I don't blame you for what your friends did."

Deep in thought, Johnny let Charmina lead him deeper into the Museum. "Was I too hard on them, though?" he wondered aloud. "I mean, I was actually taking Kelly's word…"

"Ssshhh; no more work-talk!" Mina chided. "We're here to have a nice time together, and that's exactly what we're going to do!"

Smiling, Johnny couldn't argue with her. "You're a museum buff, huh?" he asked. "Never would have guessed."

Playfully, Mina stuck out her tongue at him. "Meanie!" she teased. "I only like certain exhibits!"

Looking around, Johnny found that she'd led him to the Antiquities exhibit – specifically, to a cylindrical case guarded by security beams, with a beautiful aquamarine-and-sapphire necklace inside. He couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Jewelry. Of course."

"Shut up!" Mina laughed. "For your information, there happens to be a legend behind this piece, mister!"

Johnny arched an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Mina's smile faded, as she gazed longingly at the necklace, lost in her own tale. "This is the Amulet of Evermore," she whispered. "Legend has it that, hundreds of years ago, shamans native to this part of Canada found a brilliant blue gemstone, as if it had fallen from the sky. When they touched it, they discovered that it enhanced their shamanic abilities – as though the stone drew power from…somewhere else."

Johnny's eyes started to widen. "Wow, Mina…you really do get into these legends…"

Mina wasn't done. "That was all that the shamans knew of it…but there was more," she whispered. "What the shamans didn't know was that the stone – the sapphire – was part of a larger artefact: the Imperial Scepter, wielded by the rulers of a dimension called Legerdomain. It was both a symbol of royal succession and a channel for the current ruler to wield the entire power of Legerdomain…but after a coup against the Royal Family, the Scepter was shattered and lost. As for the Royal Family, they were scattered to the winds, while Legerdomain was engulfed in a bloody power-struggle."

Johnny stepped back. "How do you know all this, Mina?" he demanded. "How can you know?"

Mina gave him a sad little smile. "John, take a close look at the stone." Curious, Johnny inched closer to the case, peering at the gem.

It was very faint, but there, woven into the sapphire's facets, was an intricate arcane symbol. "Is…is that..?"

Mina nodded, as she turned around, brushing her hair aside to reveal the same symbol on her neck. "The Royal Crest of Legerdomain," she murmured. "Every member of the Royal Family is born with it." She looked him in the eyes. "I am the exiled Crown Princess of Legerdomain, Jonathan – the last surviving member of the bloodline…and in order to reclaim my throne, I need that stone."

Johnny staggered back, feeling as if he'd been hit by a cannonball. "Mina…"

Charmina was nearly in tears. "I-I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before, John," she sniffled. "I didn't think you'd believe me!"

Johnny's hands moved to his head. "Was…was anything you told me true?"

"Yes!" Mina cried. "I just…didn't tell you all the story." She lowered her head. "I said I'd gotten out of a bad relationship…but I never said it was with a boyfriend."

Johnny paused. "Who, then?"

Mina cringed, hugging herself. "My uncle," she sniffled. "My father once tried to unite the factions of Legerdomain to challenge the ruling Regent, and…and that bastard assassinated him!"

Johnny felt his heart rend in two at her anguished cry. "Mina..!"

"M-My mother, she…she sent me to her brother, Hex, when I was a little girl, to help me develop my magic," Mina whimpered, tears leaking from her eyes. "I was so excited at first…until I realized what a bastard he was!" She hiccupped. "Whenever I questioned him, or mixed things up, or was just nearby when he screwed up – which was often – he…he just hit me!" She sniffled again. "Before long, it got to be a habit…so when I was old enough…I ran away..!"

Instantly, Johnny enfolded her in a hug, letting her cry. "Oh, God, Mina…I am so sorry," he said gently. "I shouldn't have doubted you, but it was just…a lot to take in!"

Mina nuzzled closer to him. "I know, John," she said. "It's just…I knew I could trust you." She looked up at him, her pink eyes – her shining pink eyes, so bright they seemed to glow – meeting his. "You're the only one I can turn to, John." She nuzzled close again. "Please…help me."

Johnny felt his resolve waver. "Mina…you're talking about stealing that necklace."

"No, John. I'm talking about reclaiming what belonged to my family, so that I can reclaim my father's throne and end the conflict in Legerdomain!" Charmina insisted. "With the restored Scepter, I can defeat the Regent and end my people's suffering!" She looked nervous. "And…and I know it won't be too long before he figures out I'm alive; if he sends his assassins and I'm defenceless..!"

Between the sheer power of her plea, her logic, and her plight, Johnny knew he was beaten. "What can I do?"

He was rewarded by her radiant smile. "You know how security systems work, right?"

Johnny thought for a minute. "Just how to turn parts of 'em on and off."

"Good, because in one minute, I'm going to trigger the fire-alarm," Mina said, her smile now sly…which was just as alluring as her happy smile. "Once the guards come running, you'll need to switch off the alarms in the Antiquities exhibit. I'll handle the rest."

Johnny was still concerned. "And all you're taking is the Amulet, right?" he double-checked. "And nobody will get hurt?"

"Of course, John; all I want is what belonged to my family. That's it."

Johnny took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay."

Beaming, Mina hugged him. "Oh, thank you, John!" she all but squealed. "Okay, I'm going to trigger the alarm, so be ready!"

Before his eyes, Johnny saw Mina's hands glow mauve – eerily akin to Gwen's powers – as she formed a bolt that flew into the fire-alarm, smashing it and triggering the alarm klaxon…which was when it hit him. "Wait, Mina, how am I supposed to know where the security-center is – AUUGGHH!"

His scream came as Mina's second spell-blast hit him, which enshrouded him in pink light…and deposited him directly inside another room, in front of a surveillance console, with two guards already out the door, heading for the alarm. "Oh. That's how." Looking over the console, Johnny spotted a video-feed of the exhibit, with Mina talking to the guards, looking distraught as she pointed to the fried alarm – she was buying him time. "Okay, St. James; this is just the basic rig that the hotel uses. Nothing major…just a couple extra bells and whistles. Simple." Flexing his fists, he pored over the control-sections, stopping as he found the one for Antiquities. "Okay…cameras, fire-alarms, carbon dioxide sensors…and security beams! We're in business!" By then, the guards had started to leave the exhibit, leaving Mina alone. Quickly, Johnny switched off the security beams and the cameras; the last image from the video was Mina racing to the display before it went dark. His task complete, Johnny smiled, happy that his girl had her family's heirloom back…until another thought hit him. "Wait…those guards are coming back here!"

As if on cue, Johnny heard foosteps fast approaching. "Okay, okay, just play dumb," Johnny told himself. "I just got lost looking for a bathroom, and I stopped in here to ask – AACCK!"

Once again, he was engulfed in mauve, right before he landed flat on his butt, outside the Museum, next to an ecstatic Mina. "Christ, woman, warn a guy before you do that, next time!" he groused, getting up and rubbing his bruised butt.

Sheepish, Mina shrugged. "Sorry!" she chirped, before she hugged him again. "John, you were wonderful!" Overjoyed, she held out the Amulet. "It worked!"

Despite his success, Johnny didn't feel like celebrating. "Consider that the last time I participate in grand larceny, okay?"

"Of course!" With another gesture, Mina conjured a staff, made seemingly of silvery oak: the rest of the Scepter, Johnny supposed. "It took me years to track down the rest of the Scepter, but now I have it!" Removing the sapphire from the Amulet, Mina placed it in the gnarled claw-end of the Scepter, completing it, which caused the gem to emit an eerie glow. "Thank you, John! Thank you so much!"

Though he couldn't help but smile at her joy, Johnny still felt a bitter edge to the sweet moment. "So…I guess this means you'll be heading back home, huh?"

Inching closer, Mina laced her hand with his. "Yes, we will," she corrected, before her expression turned dark, "after one last thing: before I reclaim my throne, I need to deal with one more threat."

Johnny blinked. "What?"

Mina shook her head. "Not what, John. Who," she said. "Gwen Tennyson."

Johnny did a double-take. "WHAT? Did…did I just hear you right? You're going after Gwen?" he exclaimed. "Mina, that's nuts! Gwen's my friend, and so are her cousin Ben and her boyfriend Kevin! Y-You can't just..!"

"I don't want to, John!" Mina said. "But when I was younger, Gwen and Ben were always coming after my uncle and I! Why do you think I haven't been around to meet them?"

Johnny paused. "They…they wouldn't…"

"Yes, they would!" Mina cried, her eyes wide with fright. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Regent hired them to assassinate me!"

Johnny was pale. "But…they're the good guys…"

"According to who, John?"

Johnny's mind was reeling at that. "Mina…if I can just talk to them, I know I can clear this up. Ben and Gwen are good people – and Kevin's mostly okay – and if you tell them what you told me, I know they'd help…"

"I can't risk it, John!" Mina wailed, burying her face in his chest. "The minute they recognize me, I know they'll come after me! Please, John, don't let them hurt me!"

Johnny felt his thoughts get fuzzy at Mina's plea, but he struggled to maintain clarity. "Just…promise me you'll try talking first, Mina," he insisted. "I know they'll help you if you let them."

Her expression pleading, Mina looked up at him. "And when they don't?" she asked tearfully. "When Gwen and Ben come after me?"

Overcome with the need to protect her, Johnny held Mina close. "I promise, Mina: I won't let them hurt you."

Nuzzling into him, Charmcaster smiled to herself as her spell took full hold. "I know you won't, John," she purred. "I know you won't."

XXXXXXXX

Omnitrix Database

File-name: Rath

Species-name: Appoplexian

Home planet: Appoplexia

Abilities: Subject possesses extremely pronounced fight-or-flight response; even minute stressors can trigger extreme rage in subject. Subject's strength, speed, and agility are all enhanced in direct proportion to extent of subject's stress-level. Subject also possesses retractable wrist-mounted claws capable of shredding most known structural materials. Subject's vocal cords are capable of vibrating on Ultra-Low Frequency, allowing subject to emit roar capable of inducing paralyzing fear in most sentients within range. Due to extreme sensitivity to stress stimuli, subject can be easily distracted from one stressor by another. Subject is extremely sensitive to certain neuro-electric fields emitted by smaller sentients, including subject's own young; exposure to these induces both a calming response and protective behaviour in subject.

Description: Born to the savage jungles of Appoplexia, the Appoplexian was virtually surrounded by perils from its earliest history. Beset by bestial predators and lethal prey alike, its ancestors, chronically stressed, evolved to harness their anxiety, turning it to near-limitless rage, to fuel their desire and ability to fight back. After millions of years, the Appoplexian, now tuned to react to even the slightest hint of a threat, stands tall as the apex predator of the jungle.

Upon inclusion in trans-galactic society, Appoplexians have found some success in Galactic MMA competitions, but most have found their true callings as either soldiers or mercenaries – professions that make use of their heightened reaction to threats – or bodyguards, which utilize their reactions to distressed individuals – the instinct which enabled them to care for their young, and later their fellows, which laid the groundwork for modern Appoplexian society.

Author's Note: I sincerely apologize for taking FAR, FAR too long to update this story; I have no idea how the time got away from me. Thankfully, now that school is over and DONE with, I hope to have more time.

Coming Soon:

Now that Charmcaster's secret is out, Ben and the groms race to stop her…

…but are they already too late?

What sinister scheme has this sorceress hatched?

And, more importantly, will Ben and the groms have to face one of their own to stop her?

Find out, as all of Surfer's Paradise finds out when "Sparks Fly From Her Fingertips…"