Hey all! I'm back! Folk Festival was great! I even had my very... fourth near-death experience! But I survived, and was able to finish this very very short chapter. I'm sorry for the shortness, but this is just to further the plot.

And I know I haven't been doing 'answering a viewer questions' thing lately, but there is one that I'd like to address right here and right now

TheDreamerLady: you said you like jonda, right? cause if you do you sure have a weird way of showing it... coughscamcough. gr I was so horrorable sad-afided when I read it... I was out for blood... I though Mystique had made you write stuff... and now I'm reading the sequel... this had better have better jonda... please?

Yes, I love Jonda. It's the shpizzlespits! But I also like suspense and pissing off my readers with it [evil grinning]. Yes, this story will make up for all the horrible stuff I pulled in Scam. I'm thinking several chapters of straight Jonda fluffishness. But not really fluff, because fluff and jonda don't really go together. Believe me, John and Wanda would never have one of those relationships. Theirs would be a union full of bickering and heated arguments. But that's just what they are - intense.

Also, I don't really like those stories where the two main characters get together right away and have this wonderful happily-ever-after endings. Couldja tell?

Disclaimer: Standard disclaiming applies. Get over it!

She was in the same house as him. John had been pacing the floor of his new room for hours, trying to figure out how he was going to deal with this situation. Wanda was only a few doors away, probably still sleeping. He remembered from experience, that Wanda was a very heavy sleeper when she was exhausted.

HE certainly couldn't get to sleep! John ran his clenched fingers through his hair, almost tempted to tear it out. Oh God. Her was nervous.

Damn Mystique! This was her doing.

He sat down on his bed, hanging his head between his knees. She was more beautiful than he remembered. Her smooth skin. Her long legs. Her mature figure - John stopped there, before he lost all clear thought completely. Fate was cruel. He was so incredibly close to her, but she probably still hated him.

If she could remember who he was, at least.

Well, it was settled then! John would scarper. Before any damage could be done, to him or to Wanda, he'd be gone. All he had with him were the clothes on his back and his wallet. Easy load - good for a quick and clean escape.

He was almost out the door, when a low, feminine voice spoke up from beside him. "Leaving already? New-Guy?"

John turned around slowly. He bit down on his lower lip. The words 'oh' and 'Hell' kept repeating in his head. She was watching him from the kitchen. "I thi-" he coughed, then spoke again. This time, covering his Australian accent. "I think I left the water running in me- er, my apartment. I was just gonna check-"

Wanda gave a short laugh. "Good one. But I wouldn't worry about it. Mystique doesn't leave loose ends. Ever." She took in a drag from the cigarette she held in her hand, then stabbed it out in the ashtray on the table. "She wants you here. If you leave, she'll just go after you."

"Thanks for the tip." He said quickly, not bothering with his accent and getting eager to bolt out the door. This was just WAY too close for comfort, but there was still a chance for him to get away.

"Have we met before?" She asked suddenly. "You look really familiar."

Luckily, for John, he was quick under pressure. "That guy from that movie? No, sorry. I get that a lot-"

"No, wait!" Wanda got up from the table and approached him. "I could swear I've seen you somewhere..." She reached up and softly touched his cheek.

John had never felt so excited or so scared in his entire life. Before he could order his body to do otherwise, he grabbed Wanda's hand and held it against his face. He expected her to pull away, or respond violently. But she didn't. She only stared at him. That same intense cerulean gaze he had the privilege of experiencing five years previously. Oh how he missed this. The softness of her skin. The smell of her hair. The wordsmith wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as he could.

But the moment did as a moment would do. It passed.

And in a way the John did not find favourable in the least.

"Already scammin' on my woman?!" Todd had hopped in between them. "You ain't no saint NOTHIN', yo!"

John tried to cover his mouth, but it was too late. The damage was already done.

"Saint?" Wanda shot the novelist a questioning glare.

"Yeah, that's his name, sugar-plum. It's Saint Joe or somethin'."

He wished Hell would open up and engulf him in flames. At least then, he'd have a bit of an advantage.

"John?" Wanda looked to Todd for the answer.

He snapped his webbed fingers. "Yeah! That's it. Saint John!" He smiled proudly, now that Wanda was paying attention to him without threat to his life. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

"Small world." Wanda huffed.

"Why, you know him?" Todd asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

Wanda looked at John as if he was able to explain the whole situation. He felt his heart break all over again as she answered, "I thought I did."

"I was so BLOODY close! How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this now?!" John ranted to his empty bedroom. Much to his surprise, it answered back.

"Do what I do, man. Keep dreamin', and learn how to dodge them hex-thingies."

John jumped and nearly whacked his head on the hanging lamp. He spun around and met with a crouching Todd. "Oh, it's just you." He grumbled. "Well, what do ya want? Come to gloat?"

Todd let himself in and perched on John's bed. "Nothin' doin', man. The way I see it, we're in the same boat-"

John cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Yeah, right. You're funny, mate!"

"I'm serious!"

"Well, at least she's still willing t'talk to you."

Todd simply shrugged. "Look, I don't know what went down with you two, but she don't seem to like you at all."

"How bloody observant of you." John scoffed again. "Ever read 'A Father's Pride' by J.A. Micheals?"

Todd shook his head. "Don't do much readin'."

"Never mind, then."

Todd smirked to himself in a very Toddish way. It felt good, in a very sadistic and selfish way, to know that there was another guy on Wanda's 'Scourge of the Universe' list. And from the looks of things, Saint Jim rated higher than him on the hate-o-meter.

John was paranoid enough, without someone grinning at him. "What are you smiling about?!"

"Mystique wants to see us in the living room." He replied, not giving John his real reasons.

John 'harumph'ed, and waved Todd off. "Sod off, I'll be down in a few minutes. Don't wait up for me."

"Brotherhood-"

John winced at the icy glare Wanda shot him as he entered the room.

Mystique continued her important speech. "-The time has come to set the next phase of our plans in motion.

"As I'm sure that you've done nothing but watch cartoons," she shot a glare at Todd and Pietro, "then I'll have to update you on the recent developments in politics. There is a gathering in Washington. All US Senator's will be attending, as well as their friends and family. And as you may know," her body morphed from her sleek blue self, into a silver-haired woman in dark blue business attire and square-rimmed glasses, "I have been 'assisting' our very own Senator Kelly for the past year and a half."

Pietro, who was sitting on the couch with his arm draped lazily over his twin's shoulder, was the only one with the audacity to interrupt her. "Yeah? So what does this have to do with us?"

Wanda smacked her brother upside the head. "Idiot!" she hissed.

"What?!"

She momentarily looked like she was going to explain it to him, threw up her arms in frustration, 'humph'ed, and kept her tirade to herself.

Mystique seemed amused by the twins' interaction. "Quite." she laughed. "As a matter of fact, Quicksilver, you will be playing an integral role in this ploy." her body changed back to its original form again. "You, The Scarlet Witch, Avalanche," Mystique pointed to the red-haired pyrokinetic that still stood by the doorway, "and Pyro will be joining me."

Pyro found himself disliking Mystique more and more as she gave the team her toothy smile.

It was Todd's turn to interrupt. He adjusted himself in his crouching position atop the television. "What about Freddy and me, yo? What're we s'posed t'do? Why ain't we invited to the party?"

Mystique's lower eyelid twitched comically at the amphibious man's complaint. "You see, Toad, I want us to remain as inconspicuous as possible." her voice grew louder as she went on. "And you and the Blob have a harder time disguising your mutations than the others. I would be an IDIOT to bring you along if I want to keep a low profile!"

Todd shrank back at Mystique's shouting. He really didn't like it when she yelled at him. She was a first class scary bitch - even more so than Wanda.

"Anyway." Mystique growled, calming down from her shouting fit. "I want the four of you to rest up and be ready to leave in the morning. Pyro," she turned to him, a hand resting semi-seductively on her hip. "All of your things are out on the front porch. Don't worry about packing, since it's already been done for you."

Wanda glared at the teddy bear that now lay face down inside her suitcase. "Damn you." she accused in a venomous hiss. "Damn you for showing up again!" she slammed the lid down and snapped the clasps shut. She had just finished packing enough books and clothes for a week, as Mystique had instructed them. The Scarlet Witch threw herself onto her bed. Why did that jackass have to show up?! Why couldn't he have stayed where he was - far away from her?! No, he just had to waltz back into her life and complicate things!

She had been quite content with pining for the good ol' days every once and a while. She didn't want him back for REAL. Wanda let out another frustrated scream, that was muffled by her pressing her pillow into her face. "They hate me." Wanda muttered to her ceiling. "The Fates hate me, and want me to suffer for all the crap I pulled in my past lives. They must be punishing me for being the daughter of a genocidal maniac. No, they did that already; they made me related to Pietro."

John glanced at what he knew was Wanda's bedroom door as he walked by. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. Probably plotting his violent and bloody death. He was still having to deal with his edgy nerves. Mystique had mentioned that this mission could last up to a week, if not longer. A whole week with Wanda Maximoff. Well, it might not be so bad. John already knew that he wouldn't get along with Pietro. That Lance guy was going to be there. He seemed like a fairly decent chap. John wouldn't mind being his drinking pal.

He heard a dull thud come from inside the room. John hurried his pace and made it to his room sooner than he planned, which had been an amazing feat, since he had been lugging a pair of very large and heavy duffle bags, his briefcase, and a grocery store bag so full of his CD's, it was almost bursting - which he had been clutching in his teeth. Anyway, the last thing he wanted was for Wanda to catch him at a moment when he was completely unprepared to defend himself.

John dumped the contents of the duffle bags all over his floor and began sorting through all the clothes, pulling out all the articles he'd be taking to Washington with him. He was relieved to find that Mystique had remembered his laptop. Of course, he'd have to change all the passwords on it as a precaution; incase the devious shapeshifter had decided to do a bit of snooping. He'd also have to call Mr. Jameson to tell him not to try to contact him for the next few weeks.

This upcoming trip was promising to be very interesting indeed.

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