Shorter chapter, I'm sorry, but lots of gushy wonderfulness to keep my readers from dismembering me... but I can't say as much for Simon... I didn't think people would want him dead so badly! YEESH!

Taineyah: I like cheese, but not with pickles! Icky o.o

Undying Immortal: Thanks! You rock a lot too!

Goldylokz: Unfortunately, Simon does not have Wanda's boot wedged up his butt-crack, but thanks for the mental image! I'm still having nightmares... Drunken John... ahhhh, I have plans for our little Aussie... Fwee hee hee! Expect to see a few Random Interludes featuring Meggan, because she rocks.

Persona the ITG: I kept you in suspense! I WIN! BAH HAHAHAHAAAA!!! *does a victory dance*

Caliente: YAY! I love how nobody likes Simon, and it's all MY doing! The guidence councilor told me I had the power to persuade people... hrm... maybe if I could persuade Marvel to pay me.... *gears start turning*

Sparkie-The Wateringcan: Yes, John shall recieve much glompage. And Simon will suffer a slow and painful death... but we just have to use our imaginations for now. Yes, a sequel with the Brotherhood and mucho mucho Jonda wonderfulness!

crazyspaceystracey: Another Simon hater! Wowzer... *counts Simon haters on her fingers* one... two... EVERYBODY! Wow!

General information: Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Meggan is from Excalibur. She's Captain Britain's girlfriend/wife. She can morph her body at will, but her appearance can vary by her current mood. When she's happy, she's gorgeous, when she's sad, she looks plain, when she's pissed, she looks like the She- Hulk! But her powers only work while she's in Britain, or on British soil... isn't that weird? I guess that includes contries such as Canada (but not Quebec?) and Australia, but I don't know for sure... Anyroad, she's awesome and cute and a complete innocent, she reminds me of myself before highschool... except I don't have a gorgeous British Beefcake to call my own.... drats. Her parents are gypsies! Just like Wanda and Pietro's mommy! She was born on a cold Winter's night, and because of the circumstances, she was born covered in FUR! Meggan spent her childhood inside her parent's camper watching television.

DISCLAIMER: The world hates me because I'm a bringer of bad news!

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While Wanda was busy being not heard from for the rest of the night, John was up in the attic, pouting and taking his frustrations out on some unfortunate articles of Remy and Peter's clothing. He had tried burning his uniform a few times, but he forgot that it was made of flame-retardant material. It only made him more edgy.

"Never liked that colour anyway." he muttered as he ignited a forest- green work shirt.

Suddenly, a wave of inspiration hit him. He dropped the smoldering pile of burned cotton into the garbage barrel.

John sat down and started to write (many thanks to Goldylokz).

A young temptress, who stole the heart of a local blacksmith, had ran off with his arch-rival. She had long raven hair - blue eyes, like ice, that tore at the soul. Her name would be...

John stopped writing. He had about three pages of text done, and he hadn't even thought of a name for the lead female. Nyeah, it would come to him later. His thoughts began to wander.

What was Simon planning to do with Wanda? Where were they? What were they doing?

"-YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER MY LIFE!"

"What the hell are they watching down there?" he wondered out loud. He got up from his desk and was about to head down the stairs to investigate, when he heard muffled footsteps and then a door slamming. He figured Peter or Remy were have some sort of sanitary emergency or something, so why bother leaving his room?

He only hoped Wanda would find the apology letter and peace-offering he left in her room when she got home.

~*~

Wanda slipped a large hooded sweater over her head and flopped onto her bed before realizing... this wasn't her sweater.

It was warm and comfortable, so that's all that mattered. Her eyes were still moist and the lump in her throat wasn't helping. Why did this have to happen to her?

She stood at the corner, waiting for Simon to show up with his awesome car and sweep her away to a romantic dinner and a movie. She had waited...

And waited...

She was there for half an hour, and Simon hadn't arrived. She was sure they agreed on 6:30. By the time 7:30 rolled around, Wanda was finally fed up with waiting. After telling herself every five minutes that something must've come up, her patience ran out. She had kicked a nearby lamppost, broke the heel of one of her new boots, and started limping home.

A tear streamed down her cheek, taking some of the remaining black eyeliner with it. It probably wasn't his fault, but it really hurt having been stood up on the first date. Wanda buried her head into her pillow, wishing the world would just go away.

Something out of place caught her eye. She looked up at her bedside table. Next to the lamp was a package. Wanda's curiosity was piqued. According to her father, her birthday wasn't until March, and she didn't celebrate Christmas... and it was almost Hallowe'en. Why would there be a gift there, for her? She picked it up using two hands, and noted how light it was for it's size. There was no note, no card... just a sticker that said 'Open'.

Not able to stand the anticipation, Wanda tore the paper off the box and pried the top off with her nails, sniffling away another tear. There was a lot of tissue paper in the box, but an envelope lay on the top. She pulled it out and ripped it open, having a folded sheet of paper fall into her lap. She carefully unfolded it and cleared her eyes enough to read what it said.

Wanda,
I'm really sorry I was being such a jerk to you earlier. You're right, I am a pathetic, weak little man who can't get a girl no matter how hard he may try. I'm not saying that I'll try to like Simon for you, but I am asking you not to be pissed at me anymore, because, quite frankly, you're bloody scary when you're mad!
That's not to say you're scary or anything! I mean, you're not bad looking at all. And I mean, y'know, you're not unattractive. Not that there's any question of you being ugly, because, you're not!
I'm going to stop writing now before I make more of an ass of myself,
John.

Wanda snorted. John had successfully put his foot in his mouth, in writing. She tenderly placed the letter on her night stand and went back to the package. She pulled the tissue paper out to reveal...

~*~

Simon slipped his belt through his pants and did it up again. That was a wild party he just went to, but there seemed to be something nagging at the back of his mind. He had forgotten something...

He looked over at the red-head (not Jean Grey), laying passed-out on his bed. She was the head cheerleader. Simon had been trying to get her since his sophomore year. Finally, he had conquered. Too bad she was a lousy lay. Well, now he had bragging rights.

WENDY! Simon slapped himself in the forehead. He had forgotten about Wendy! That stupid bet! It was either Wendy or Rogue... and Rogue was a scary bitch. Wendy was the new girl; she could be influenced. He had until Hallowe'en to get one of the Hail-Gothica's into bed, and then he'd get $300 from the rest of the wrestling team, and the football team.

It wasn't like he NEEDED the money. His dad was a wealthy businessman, and Simon was entitled to that inheritance, plus he had several athletic scholarships lined up for college. Nah, this was just for the challenge. Fortunately, Wendy was playing right into his hand. That money was as good as his.

~*~

A teddy bear?

Wanda lifted the stuffed animal out of the box and admired it. It had black fur, a heart shaped nose, and was wearing a red Witch's costume, complete with a cape, a little red hat and a broomstick. She smiled warmly, despite her unshed tears. Wanda never thought John was capable of thinking for someone other than himself, and this was proof that he could. She would have to forgive him the next time she saw him.

After shoving the wrappings onto the floor, Wanda slid underneath her blankets and fell asleep, still clutching the bear and wearing the oversized hooded sweater that wasn't hers.

"John's not such an ass after all..."

~*~

John sneezed and rubbed his chilly nose, much in the same manner of a small child (fangirls: 'Awww! I want one!). Why did it have to be so frelling cold in America?! He got up from his desk and did a few prolonged stretches. He bent over and touched his toes, then twisted his torso around to crack his stiff spine. He then straightened himself out and went in search of a sweater.

Remy was the last person to do the laundry, meaning that all of John's clothes were dumped onto his bed, waiting for him to put them away himself. John grumbled in annoyance. Peter at least folded his clothes before leaving them in his room. Wanda put his clothes into his dresser FOR him! No, Remy didn't give him such treatment. He let the Australian fend for himself. Remy was always careless when it came to doing chores.

He was starting to hate living in the States. When Magneto originally approached him in Australia, he told the young mutant that he would see things he had never seen before. Mags had neglected to tell him about all the snow. He had been seduced into joining Magneto by the promise of fame and power. He joined for the benefits, he stayed for the thrills... at least, that's why he stayed in the first place.

Things had gotten pretty dull until just recently, when Magneto announced that they would be moving into a house and taking on a new project. The Acolytes had been ignorant of Magneto's plans until he introduced them to his amnesiac daughter. Wanda had certainly made things much more interesting. Of course, the Acolytes had been ordered, for the sake of their lives, or the lives of loved ones in some cases, to keep their mutations a secret from her. Remy had to wear sunglasses or an image- inducer to cover his eyes whenever she was around. They all knew that Wanda herself was a mutant, but her powers had been forgotten along with every other aspect of her life. She was not to be told or Magneto would punish them.

John knew everything about her from the files he was instructed to read. She fascinated him to no end. Every time he irked her, it was to get a glimpse at the real Wanda. The feisty young woman with a short temper, and the patricidal obsession. He could understand her. St.John, as a child, was sent off to a psychiatrist once a week for seven years because everyone thought he was a danger to others. Oh, if only they knew!

Lately though, he wasn't pissing her off because he wanted to. It was because he vocalized his objection to her dating one of the biggest play- boys in Bayville. He knew Wanda could hold her own in a fight against a boy, but would she be able to handle the heartbreak from a promiscuous boyfriend? John had developed a strong affection for Wanda, one that he didn't dare bring up in front of his boss, and didn't want her to get hurt.

(I love how I just made getting a sweater into an introspective look into Pyro's brain)

He shuffled through his clean laundry for the fourth time, still unable to find his favourite sweater. He cursed loudly, wondering where it could've gotten to. "Screw the 'system'! From now on, I'm doing my OWN laundry! No more of this 'misplaced sweater on the coldest night of my life' shit." he grumbled. "I'm gonna kill Frenchie... after I'm done incinerating Wonder Wanker!"

~*~

(HUZZAH! A random interlude! Because readers are crazy and enjoy reading these things! WHEEEEEE!!!)

Kurt bounced merrily about his dorm room. He was doing that a lot lately- bouncing merrily. One week until Hallowe'en meant only one week until the concert. He was extremely excited about it too! They were planning this elaborate costuming thingie, which meant that Kurt would have an excuse to look weird. Amanda told her parents she was going to a concert with her friends, which was true, but she neglected to tell them that her freakish-secret-boyfriend was going to be there.

Amanda loved his blue-furriness. She once told him that he reminded her of Grover, from Sesame Street, and how he was her favourite of all the Muppets. Just as a joke, sometimes Kurt would try to imitate Grover. Well, Grover with a German accent...

Evan looked up from his skateboard maintenance and shook his head. It was late October, so that meant he had to prepare for several months of NOT being able to zip around the place like a possessed hellion. Well... not outside anyway.

Kurt was so strange.

"Yo, do you mind, Elf-boy? You're gunna break something, man!"

"Sorry, dude! I'm just really psyched about zis concert!" Kurt finally sat... er... crouched onto his bed, but his tail still whipped about mischievously. "Vhat if we get discovered! It vould be REALLY cool if somevone offered us a contract! We could be like ze next Beatles!"

"Who?"

Kurt stared at Evan incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?!"

Evan regarded Kurt with a look that said 'seriously, what the fudge are you talking about?'. Kurt gasped in exasperation, and rubbed his temples with his thick fingers.

"ZEE Beatles! John, Paul, George and Ringo!-"

Evan still stared blankly.

"- Ze Fab-Four... Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band... Yellow Submarine..." he prompted desperately.

"Nope."

Kurt groaned. "I give up!" he flopped back into his pillows

Evan started to sing softly to himself as he tightened the bolts on his board. "She's a Day Tripper, one way ticket girl. It took me sooooooo loooong just to find out- and I found out."

Kurt shot up with a crazed look in his golden eyes. He tossed a pillow at Evan. Evan, out of self defense, covered his head with his arm and accidentally shot off a few bone spikes. The pillow exploded in a mass of feathers and blanketed the room.

"Oops..."

~*~

(AND ANOTHER ONE!)

Meggan: (Huzzah! She's back!) I love being in America! But I feel homesick. And I miss Brian... (*audience groans*). I can't wait until I go back to London. Oh piddle-sticks! I left the bunt-cake in the oven! My exchange family won't be too pleased with having to clean up this mess... what to do? What would Brian do?... Get drunk and start a fight... okay... I've never done this before, but it's worth a shot! Where do they store the wine...

~*~

Wanda staggered haphazardly into the kitchen, grumbling to herself, wondering why she had to forget to turn off her alarm. 9:00 a.m. was WAY too early for a Sunday morning. And she was still groggy from the night before, having ridden an emotional roller coaster and crashing back to horrible, horrible reality - people sucked!

"Good morning, Wanda." Peter greeted cautiously from behind the newspaper.

"COFFEE!" Wanda snarled. She poured herself a large mug of liquid- life and took a long sip of it, black, without milk or sugar. Her eyes snapped open, and a satisfied look spread across her face. "better..."

"Did you sleep well?"

Wanda leaned against the kitchen counter, warming her hands on her coffee cup. Yes, she had slept rather well considering the circumstances. She felt energized, that was for sure, but that probably had something to do with the fact that the coffee was the brand that Remy insisted on buying because of it's potency. "Yeah, not bad." she answered simply, not wanting to get into the details of her night.

Remy shlumped into the room and pushed past Wanda to get to the hot java. "Move it John..." he grumbled as he reached for his favourite mug. It had little playing cards painted all over it.

Wanda narrowed her eyes at him. How could he mistake HER for JOHN? There was absolutely no way anybody could be THAT tired! "What did you just call me?!"

Remy glowered at her, then went back to his coffee. "Sorry, petite. I t'ought y'was John. He usually wear dat shirt when it get real cold." He sneezed loudly. "Remy wish he was back in Louisiana at dis time of year..."

Wanda looked down. She was still wearing the sweater she had changed into after her 'date'. It was made of thick black fleece. There was a large orange sun embroidered on the front that had an obnoxious toothy grin.

She had slept wearing John's shirt.

She had slept wearing John's shirt while hugging a teddy bear that John had given her.

She had slept wearing John's shirt while hugging a teddy bear that John had given her and had a really good dream.

Wanda rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and tried to eliminate the one- way train of thought that was running through her head. Had John planned this? Did he plant the sweater in her room, thinking she would have a bad night and want warm fuzzy comfort? Had this been an elaborate plot to get back on her good side, and win brownie points? If it was, it worked.

Remy smiled to himself triumphantly upon seeing Wanda's reaction. He KNEW it! The two of them liked each other. The only thing that was in the way was this Simon fellow, but judging by Wanda's previous behaviour, that hadn't gone over well. This meant that John could finally get a girlfriend, and hopefully be too busy to remember to be a pain in the Cajun's ass! Plus, he knew Magneto wouldn't be too pleased if one of his henchmen was dating his only daughter. This meant that Remy would be able to get away with more stuff, because Maggs would be to busy being pissed off at John to notice! *Insert mental evil-chuckling* Maybe he and Peter would be able to leave and not have to put up with Magneto's crazed ideals of Mutant Supremacy! Things just started looking better and better.

Remy was determined. He would try his hardest to help these two teens along. The sweater had just been a test. The real work would come after the concert.

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I think I'll leave it at that... another cliff hanger of sorts. I love Meggan!

May the Glomp Gods smile upon you!

Bai-Bai!