Backdated like mad.

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

Wanda throws herself on the mercy of the Pack for some R&R and they're more than up to the job. Catching up and some gossip are in order.



The man she had rented the motorcycle had looked at Wanda like she was insane when she had offered to rent one of the bikes for an undisclosed period of time. He hadn't argued much, though, simply accepted her money, sign a piece of paper and handed her the keys.

She decided as she pulled up in front of the place that Nate had given her directions for, was much more enjoyable than finding a cab to take her. On top of that, she doubted that bringing a cab would be a very good idea in the first place. Swinging her leg over, she took a good look around, smiling a bit. It was very pretty and if she listened, she could hear the ocean. Perfect.

Now all she had to do was hope someone had been told she was coming since the last thing Wanda wanted to do on her vacation was be shot at.

A blonde head poked around from the back of the house. "We're out back, Wanda," Anika called out cheerfully. "Having lunch. Come eat!"

"Thank you, Nate," she murmured, waving as she pulled the bike closer to house. "Coming!" Taking a second to pull her bags free and bring them with her, she caught up to the other woman. "Good to see you, Anika, and thank you for having me."

The blonde feral smiled cheerfully. "Hey, we're on a bit of a break. Got all the kids from Libya squared away, so guests are cool. It's just too bad you didn't bring Nate with you." She led Wanda around the back of the house, where there was a sizeable patio overlooking the ocean and a quite respectable and very Mediterranean-looking feast laid out on the table. "Look who made it here intact!" Ani announced cheerfully, if somewhat unnecessarily.

"I see Nate's gotten better about giving directions." Bridge rose from his chair and came over, smiling. "Hey, Wanda. How was the flight?"

"The only reason I got decent directions out of him was because Moira went back over and translated everything for me," Wanda declared, giving him a warm smile in return. "And the flight was awful but I figure as long as it does not drop me in the middle of the ocean I should be greatful." She paused and then winked. "Should be, anyway. How is everyone?"

"Relaxing," GW said, his head turning as two figures emerged out of the water, Isabel appearing even tinier than she was beside Nash's towering gray-skinned form. "There's been a whole lot of sleeping in and doing not much of anything since we got the kids settled."

Over on one of the lounge chairs, Domino pulled her sunglasses down a little. "Hey, Wanda," the younger woman greeted her. "I meant to ask about the hair, the other week..."

"Sleep?" Wanda shot over her shoulder as she headed towards Domino, saying hello to the folks she passed. "I must get a look at this mythical creature while I'm here." Dropping the bags, she sank into a second lounge chair, stretching the tight muscles. "The hair? Oh! The sudden and drastic disappearance of the mane that weighed as much as a small child?"

"You've joined the ranks of the short-haired," Lien said, appearing soundlessly behind GW and looping an arm around his waist. He gave her a slight, almost embarassed smile. "It looks very nice."

"You should eat," Domino said with a yawn and a wave at the table. Her pale skin was looking distinctly pink. "Much better than plane food."

Giggling slightly at GW's discomfort, she titled her head at everyone. "Thank you, Lien, I was...very unsure of how it would look since I happened to chop it off by myself in the middle of the night. The hairdresser nearly had a heart attack." She contemplated the table for a second. "It certainly does look, and smell, better than what I had on the way over. I'll eventually get back up again."

Even she knew, once she removed her own sunglasses, how tired and worn out she must have looked. There had been no time to cover up the bags under her eyes with make up after the plane ride.

"Some of the others are in town," Domino informed her, "and David is upstairs fussing over Mina." She made a face. "Her leg got infected. She's getting over it pretty well, but drugs don't work so well on an electrokinetic's metabolism so it's taking a little while."

Wincing at that, she knew from dealing with her brothers metabolism that somethings don't react well, Wanda tilted her head. "Anything I can do to help while I am here?" she asked, spreading her hands out in front of her, palms up.

"She'll be fine," GW said reassuringly, sitting back down. Lien took the spot next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder, and he smiled down at her, a little less sheepishly, before turning his attention back to Lorna. "She's just doing her Silly Medic thing and not letting us take care of her particularly willingly. Fortunately David doesn't have the patience to put up with it."

Anika reappeared with a bowl full of olives and flopped down on the patio, peering curiously up at all of them. "The shouting and growling is very impressive," she said with a perfectly straight face, nibbling on the olives. "Theo will be so disappointed you got here earlier, Wanda. He was coming back from town with a surprise for you."

"Ani!" Domino scolded.

"What? I didn't tell her what, did I?"

Wanda laughed at that, leaning back in the chair some more. "I have heard nothing," she said serenely, looking as innocent as she could physically pull off, though her eyes danced with amusement. Turning her head to GW, she grinned. "Well, if Nate can learn to sit still and be fussed over, I think anyone can, don't you?"

"Mmm. Mina is actually almost as stubborn, if you can believe that." GW eyed Wanda for a moment, the smile lingering but a touch of real concern to his expression. "Wanda, about Theo..."

Lien's hand tightened warningly on the back of his neck. "Do not," she almost purred at him, "fuss. Theo is just fine."

"Yes," came the support from Domino's direction, hard violet eyes fixed on Bridge over the rims of her sunglasses. "Theo is just fine, and Wanda does not need 'warning'."

Anika bit into another olive, wrinkling her nose. "Too spicey. And so Theo's got a crush. I think it's kind of cute."

Blinking slowly she looked from person to person, taking in each of their expressions before shaking her head. "I am not sure if I was being warned about the crush or warned, well, not to hurt him." Almost playfully, she tilted her head at GW and gave him a smile. "Of which no one has to worry about."

A look of pain came and went quickly across her face as she thought about Steven. She was not looking to get involved, not for a long term thing because she had this sinking, maddening feeling that she couldn't let herself.

"Personally I think it's sweet," Domino said, readjusting her sunglasses. "Most women look at him and see... well, a mutant freak. And he's possibly one of the most good-hearted men I've ever met. And you're worrying about nothing, GW, because really, all he wants to do is make sure Wanda has a really good vacation and maybe get her to call him cute again. It's about time he had something to feed his ego a little."

GW raised two defensive hands. "All right, all right, I give. I'm just fussing."

"Theo is a bit on the big side..." She laughed at their looks. "Okay, maybe more than a bit but I do think he is cute. And Nate warned me about you." Wanda wiggled her fingers in GW's direction. "In fact he told me if you fussed too much I was to get someone to toss you into the ocean. Does he have a water fetish or something?"

Isabel and Gavin arrived, just in time to hear Wanda's question. "I don't know," the towering ex-Mistra operative asked with a perfectly straight face. "I can remember a number of times he dunked trainees, back in New Mexico. Don't ask me how he found places to dunk people in the desert."

"Do you remember him doing it repeatedly to Mick and Tim until they stopped squabbling with each other?" Isabel asked mischievously. Anika's smile was oddly wistful, yet amused.

"Between Moira and him it is almost scary. No, I retract that. It is scary. The are the scariest couple ever." On this she was quite firm. No one else added up that much scary and cute all in one relationship. "I should be thankful it was Scott who found me working after dropping you all off and not Nate because I am positive he would have chucked my notes out of the Blackbird."

"That's our Nate," Domino murmured, closing her eyes. "Isabel, eat something. Gavin, make her eat." Isabel made a face at Domino and then went over to the table, Gavin her shadow. "I have obviously picked up many bad habits." Anika threw an olive pit at her, and Domino snickered.

"Completely, utterly bad habits," Wanda agreed, peering up at the sun for a second, enjoying the feeling of the sun. She would have to seek solace in the shade later, or perhaps the ocean, but it was nice to be able to do this at this time of the year. "Charles should relocate."