InvaderChief, thanks for reviewing! Louise says she's glad you like her. She saw your review, you see. OK, here we are! One more chapter!

Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter!


But four hours came and went, and still Louise showed no sign of moving from her position. Every hour one of the girls would take "Louise watch", to make sure she didn't try anything. Eventually they had to do something…

"Louise? Louise? You alive in there?" Alex tapped her friend lightly on the shoulder, shaking her head and looking over to where Jhonen Vasquez was sitting. "I'm really sorry about her, Mr Vasquez. She…she's a little strange."

"Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen."

"Okay, maybe a lot strange."

"Is there any way of moving her?"

"I doubt it." Alex passed her hand in front of Louise's eyes. No response – not even a flicker. "She's too far gone for any help to be of use. Seriously, you should have seen her when she saw this huge picture of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. She was in front of that for one hour straight."

The man didn't look as if he knew quite what to say. Alex gave him a reassuring look.

"It's alright, Mr Vasquez. She'll be alright in a while. When you know Louise, you learn to not be shocked by anything any more. Louise…" She looked at her friend once more. "…You can come and see the Zim toys, if you want. They have a collectable GIR…"

"Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen Jhonen." Was the only response she received.


"Lou, c'mon. It'll be closing soon!" Holly pulled on her friend's arm in a vain attempt to make her move. "And you're freaking him out!"

They had been at the comic convention for six hours now, and it was becoming increasingly hard for Nicky, Alex and Holly to actually make Louise respond – not that it had ever been easy in the first place. Jhonen Vasquez had resorted to treating her as part of the furniture, even doing his best to ignore her incessant repeating of his name.

"Nicky? Alex? A little help here?"

The three grabbed Louise, pulling her hard to try and make her leave the poor man alone. But to no avail. She wasn't going to move. Even when the staff began to pack up the merchandise, she didn't move. But she did stir when her idol began to move from his chair. Her eyes followed him in a distinctly predatory way.

"Uhh…Alex? Holly? Nicky? Is it OK for me to move?" In the six hours, Jhonen had come to know the girls by name. "Will she pounce?"

"I don't know…" Alex looked into her friend's eyes. "Her pupils are dilated. Looks like she's in some kind of Jhonen-trance. Maybe if you move very slowly, she won't notice you?"

"Worth a try…" The man slowly rose to his feet, taking a step away – heartened somewhat by the lack of movement from Louise – though her muttering did become louder.

"Make a run for it, Mr Vasquez!" The three sane(ish) girls cried, but they were too late. In a flash of movement so fast it was almost a blur, Louise successfully knocked out Alex and Holly, and left Nicky nursing a rapidly-swelling black eye. A large cotton wool pad appeared in the manic girl's hand, and it was rapidly pressed against Jhonen Vasquez's nose and mouth. His eyes rolled up into his head and he was plunged into oblivion…


"Can I have one?" Alex looked hopefully over at the packet of chocolate-covered-raisins that Louise held protectively in her hands, offering a winning smile when her friend glared at her. But the girl did eventually tilt the packet towards her book-toting-companion, who promptly grabbed a handful.

The four were on the plane home, having spent the last twenty-four hors not talking to each other – or, more accurately, not talking to Louise. They were finally on the aircraft, after a one-hour delay due to a Communist strike in the airport. But the extra time had allowed them to decide who sat next to who, and also gave Nicky the chance to buy an enormous bag of lollipops, which she was now keeping closely guarded from Holly.

Louise smiled. "Hey – did I ever apologise for hitting you like that?"

"No, not really." Alex touched the bruise on her head. "If you'll remember, none of us has spoken to you since yesterday. I'm only sitting next to you now on this plane because I drew the short straw."

The girl laughed. "Well – I am. I don't know what got into me."

"Jhonen Vasquez, if you had your way."

"Alex! I didn't know you had such a dirty mind!"

"You have no idea." Alex smiled wryly. "So…what happened in the three hours we were unconscious?"

"I kind of pounced on Jhonen…and then when I lost interest I walked off and took you lot back to the hotel in a taxi."

Louise, however, neglected to mention the strange new addition to her luggage…