A/N- Alright, this was fun for me to write. I'm currently encountering a titch of writer's block, so bear with me. Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers. As of this chapter, I have over 13,000 hits and just about 200 reviews. I hope you enjoy the chappie.

Chapter 31

Late Night Chat: The Sequel

After stubbornly refusing to sleep on the bean-scented side of the tent for nearly ten minutes, I was finally reduced to threatening John with castration and he immediately gave up and relinquished the bean free side to me.

"It's not a big deal, John." I said, sitting down as he threw his shirt to the corner of the tent.

"Then why can't you do it?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"'Cause it's funnier this way." I explained innocently with only a hint of sadism in my voice.

"You're a psycho."

"Then why'd you kiss me if I'm such a psycho?" I blurted out before I could even think.

John raised an eyebrow at me. "What are you talking about?" he asked, not looking at me.

"You kissed me. Last night." I reminded him. "What was that about?"

He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture I noticed he did when he was nervous.

"I… I don't know."

"Oh."

He groaned.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what the hell did you mean John? I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel for you right now after your little power display on Bobby's porch!" I cried, sitting up on the blanket.

"I wanted to protect you!"

"John, what the name of J.R.R. Tolkien are you babbling about?" I demanded, staring at him incredulously.

"Did you know that besides Bobby, you are the only person in the whole goddamned world that doesn't take me at face value?" he asked, his face inches from mine.

"John, no one takes you at face-" I started nervously.

"Oh, God, sweetheart, spare me the bullshit. Even Rogue does it. Why did you give me a chance? Three days ago I could have killed you."

"So what? You can still kill me. You scared the hell out of me today." I said.

"Well, sorry. Should I have let you get shot?" John sneered.

"I was in no danger-"

"THAT PIG SHOT LOGAN IN THE HEAD!" John reminded me angrily.

"But-"

"But nothing. End of discussion." John said decisively.

"No! Not 'end of discussion'. John." I said, leaning forward and resting my forehead on my knees.

"Then what do you want to talk about?" he asked indifferently, flopping back on the blanket.

"About everyone taking you at face value. That's not true." I said.

"Like who?"

"Logan."

"Logan?" John smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was his idea for me to try to talk to you in detention that day, you know."

"Why, 'cause I'm the resident fuck-up?"

"You're not a fuck-up, John. You shouldn't say things like that." I said, reaching down to touch his hand.

"Why the hell not? It's true, isn't it?" John insisted.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." I instructed, rather absently, cupping his cheek in my palm. I could feel a tiny bit of stubble along his jawline and I felt a strange urge to kiss it.

So I did.

"You don't have to be the bad guy, John." I said softly, pulling away and looking him in the eyes.

"Jesus Christ, Anna, you have no idea what you're doing to me." John groaned, lowering his mouth to mine, kissing me gently at first, and then growing more aggressive.

"You sound like someone out of a bad romance novel, John." I said breathlessly when he finally pulled away.

"It's better than sounding like someone out of a bad porno." John told me.

"John!" I exclaimed, swatting his arm.

"I know, I'm sorry. I know what you're going to say." he said, holding up his hands as a sign of surrender.

"What?"

"There's no such thing as a bad porno."

"Not true." I countered, laughing.

"Since when do you watch pornos?" John asked curiously.

"You know that crap that's on at like, 2:30 in the morning on HBO? It was like, one time, after me and Kitty had watched Captain Corelli's Mandolin." I explained, laughing at the memory of Kitty's appalled and disgusted face.

"You and Kitty watched a porno." John repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, and then we stripped down to our underwear and threw baby oil at each other, and finally, had a pillow fight." I said as seriously as I could.

"Really?" John asked happily.

"Yeah! Oh, uh… no." I answered, watching his face fall in disappointment.

"Man…" John mumbled.

"Jeez, what is it with guys and lesbians?" I muttered.

"Well-" John started to explain.

"I don't wanna know, John!" I said, covering my ears with my hands.

"You asked."

"It was rhetorical!"

"Whatever." John said, grinning as he flopped down on the blanket next to me.

"John?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" he responded sleepily.

"You said you were from Australia, right?" I asked.

"Melbourne, yeah. Why?"

"Why don't you have an accent?"

"I do. I just don't use it." he answered.

"Why not?" I prodded.

"Because the first night I was here, Bobby called me "The Crocodile Hunter" and then he wouldn't stop saying the word "Vegemite" whenever he had the opportunity. Which was pretty often, because he's the only roommate I've ever had." John explained.

"So you adopted an American accent because of it?"

"Yup."

"That's too bad." I sighed, lying down next to him, burying my face in his warm shoulder.

"Why?" he asked drowsily.

"Because Australian accents are pretty sexy."

-----x-----x-----x-----x-----x-----

Whadja think? Aussies are pretty hot, right? Hit the shiny and tell me what you thunk.