Hello everyone! I'm back with a Jamber one-shot as requested by tammy-loves-jerome a long while ago :) Tammy, I hope you enjoy, and Happy Hanukkah! And Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it! :D I may or may not post anything before Christmas (I'm on my winter break right now, so I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done), but if I don't, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas! :)

So I came up with this idea in the shower one day (weird, I know), and on Friday, I bounced off of this idea and made it a Jamber story! I actually really enjoyed writing it, and I have to admit, Jamber is pretty cute xD Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and review please?

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own House of Anubis.

Keep Holding On

"No! No!" a blonde girl in pink heels yelled as she desperately banged her hands on the door.

"Amber, it's stuck! No matter how hard you bang on it, it's not going to open!" another blonde, this time a boy, explained to the girl.

The girl, Amber, stopped banging on the door and turned to face the boy.

"Jerome, I don't need your negativity! If I can't open the door, the least I can do is make enough noise from someone to hear us and let us out!" she exclaimed. "And you could help me, you know."

The boy called Jerome smirked. "You're the one who got us into this mess. You can get us out. By yourself."

Amber looked down in shame. "I didn't know we'd get stuck," she mumbled, then resumed whacking her hands on the door.

Jerome leaned against the wall, watching Amber make every attempt to be heard, trying to fix her mess. After about ten minutes of this with no result, Amber gave up, put her back against the wall, and slid down to the ground.

"It's no use," she whimpered, and buried her head in her arms.

"Hey," Jerome said, sitting down next to her. "I'm sure the others have noticed we're gone and are looking for us by now."

"I hope so; our cell phones don't work in here," Amber concurred. Jerome took this time to look at his surroundings.

"What is this place?" he asked. "It looks like some old abandoned freezer room."

"It is, I think. I thought it would be a good a good hiding place for the cup. Don't you remember coming here when we were younger?"

Jerome examined the room a little more. "I do actually. I recognize the room the warehouse this is in too. We used to be explorers and play hide-and-seek here, didn't we?"

Amber laughed, remembering all of the fun times they had together when they were younger. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun. I miss those days."

Jerome nodded. "Me too. Things weren't as complicated back then."

The two blondes spent fifteen minutes reminiscing about the past, enjoying each other's company, and forgetting that they were trapped. Just like old days.

"So why did you think this would be a good hiding spot for the cup?" Jerome questioned Amber, after retelling their tales of childhood adventures.

"Because I remember I hid in here once, in the broken sewage pipe," she started, pointing to the pipe on the other side of the room that was big enough for a little girl and certainly big enough for a cup, "And I you couldn't find me. You searched for an hour and got so worried that you started crying. I thought since it was a good hiding place then, it could be a good one now."

Jerome was actually impressed. "I gotta give it to you. That was pretty clever. I'm surprised."

Amber scoffed. "Of course you're surprised. No one would expect me to think of something smart. Some people would go as far as saying I don't even have two brain cells to rub together. I guess that's why I was so keen on doing something good for Sibuna. Something to make me seem less… I don't know… stereotypical me."

Jerome had never heard Amber talk like that. She had always been okay with being just a pretty face, or at least that's what everyone thought. He would never have guessed that she felt disappointed in herself. He realized then that there was much more to Amber than what he'd thought.

"Jerome?" Amber whispered. Jerome had been so engrossed in thought that he hadn't noticed five minutes pass.

"Yes, Amber?" he replied.

"I'm sorry," she continued to whisper. Jerome looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry that I got us in this mess. I'm sorry I even tried. Maybe I should just stick to the assumptions everyone has of me."

Jerome shook his head. "No. Please don't give up. You have just proved to me that you really are the same girl I used to play with. And all these years I thought you had changed, become someone different. But now I see that you've just been overshadowed by the stereotypes people have made for you. You don't need to apologize for that."

Amber felt free for the first time in a long time. Jerome was the only one who actually understood her, made her feel appreciated for who she really was. She gazed up at him, taking a moment to admire his blue eyes she'd always loved ever since they were kids. His eyes were the kind of eyes that you could get lost in and be completely okay with it. But Amber noticed something different this time. Jerome's eyes, although still beautiful, lacked a bit of the gleam they used to have. She pondered what might have caused this, and then felt a nagging feeling as she realized something else she had felt guilty of for a while, something she needed to apologize for.

"I'm not quite finished though," Amber began again. "I have another reason to be sorry. Jerome, I'm sorry for abandoning you. I broke my promise I made to you. I promised that I would always be there for you, that you could always count on me. I let our friendship drift away… over Mick. I'm so so sorry, Jerome. You've been let down by your parents, and I thought I'd never be the one to let you down even more. And I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize how much I hurt you."

Amber felt a tear run down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it off. Jerome, however, took notice and quickly pulled her into a hug, speechless from her apology. It was that moment when he felt all his old feelings for her come rushing through him. He had his Amber back. Although in reality, she never left.

They sat in each other's arms in silence for who knows how long. It felt perfect for both of them, a peaceful moment that could last forever if they wished. But things don't ever go perfectly.

They were still trapped in the freezer room. A freezer room with a broken sewage pipe. And though they believed it was safe, they were horribly mistaken. Within a split second, water came rushing from the pipe into the room. Both Amber and Jerome jumped up as fast as they could, surprised by this sudden waterfall.

"What is going on?" Amber cried. "The pipe shouldn't have water coming out of it!"

"Well, now isn't really a good time to wonder why there's water! Let's just get this door open, so we can get the hell out of here!" Jerome yelled. He and Amber hurried to the door and pulled with all their might, the water coming out at a faster pace.

"How can one door become so stuck?" Amber exclaimed, absolutely flabbergasted, kicking the door with her foot, and then immediately regretting her decision.

"Amber, we have to get this door open now," Jerome stated, realizing something awful. "The water won't leak through the cracks because it's not a normal door."

Amber's eyes widened as she understood what he was getting at. "Oh my god." There was a long moment of silence where both students were taking in the horrible fate that could possibly occur. Then both of them banged every part of their body on the door, yanking and pulling on the handle, yelling for dear life, praying that someone may hear them.

Suddenly, fate gave them an ounce of hope, as they heard a familiar voice from outside.

"Amber, Jerome? What's going on in there? Are you okay?" came the unmistakable American accent of their house mate, Nina.

"Nina! We are trapped, and this sewage pipe is spewing water, and please just let us out!" Amber shouted over the rushing water.

"That might be a problem," a British accent belonging to a boy called back. "There are about fifty knots of rope tied around this handle! Someone clearly deliberately trapped you in!"

"WHAT? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Fabian, please just hurry to get them all undone! The water is already up to our knees!" Amber cried, going into full on panic mode.

"Don't worry, we will get you out!" Fabian replied with the same sense of panic in his voice.

Amber began to hyperventilate; her breathing became fast paced, her face grew pale, and tears began to flow from her eyes. Jerome, taking notice of this, swiftly pulled her into his arms, whispering words of comfort.

"It will all be okay. We just have to stay calm. They will get us out soon, don't worry."

They stayed like that in each others' arms, waiting for any news on how the untying was coming along, as the water slowly rose higher and higher.

Nina, Fabian, and Patricia, who had also come, were trying as hard as they could to untie the knots. The task was proving very difficult, even with the three of them pulling and tugging on the ropes. Whoever put the ropes on the handle was evidently some kind of knot expert.

"Any luck?" Jerome yelled, after a few minutes of waiting.

"Kind of," Nina replied, anxiously tugging at a pesky knot that was doing its best to stay tied.

"Kind of?" Amber shouted back. "The water is well passed my waist now!"

"Oh no," Patricia whispered.

"That's not very reassuring!" Jerome cried.

"We're trying our best!" Fabian retaliated. "We will get you out! We will not let anything happen!"

Amber looked up at Jerome in fear. Their eyes met, exchanging the mutual terror. And for a brief moment, the world paused as they gazed into each others' eyes, realizing that there are so many things that had been unsaid for years, and now was the time to get them out, seeing as they may not have another chance.

"I have to tell you something," they said in unison.

"You first, Amber."

"Jerome," she started, "Thank you so much for giving me the best childhood memories and for never giving up on me. Thank you for knowing how to calm me down and for being my confidante. And most importantly, thank you for being here now. Your presence seems to provide me with light no matter how dark things may seem. You're more than just a friend to me. More than even a brother. You're my wall, you're my rock, you're my… love."

Jerome gently pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face, caressing her cheek as he did. "Amber, for many years, I tried to deny a fact. A feeling. I wouldn't let myself believe that… I was in love with my best friend. I had become so used to denying it that I thought my feelings had just vanished. But now I see that they never went away. Amber, I love you. I hate that I had to wait until now to admit it. But I guess it was now or never, right? Speaking of, do you remember a promise that I made to you?" Amber shook her head. "I promised to protect you. Whether it was during our epic battles with the ninja pirates of our imagination or when riding our bikes through the forest, I made a vow to you and myself to protect you. And I am determined to keep that promise, even if it is the last thing I do."

"What are you thinking?" Amber asked.

"Hop on my shoulders," Jerome told her.

"What?" Amber cried. By now the water was inching toward her neck, threatening to overcome her completely.

"Amber, you aren't the strongest swimmer. I can lift you up. Above the water. And keep you safe, just as I promised!"

Amber shook her head. "I promised you that I wouldn't abandon you! I am not about to do that again!" She grabbed his hand tight. "Wherever you're going, I'm going with you. The only thing I'm afraid of is losing you."

The water rose higher and higher. Amber, being so light, felt her feet leave the floor. She let herself be carried up towards the ceiling. Still holding hands, Jerome followed suit, having the disadvantage of not being as light. They pressed their ears against the door, listening for some sign that the trio outside had been successful. All they could hear were frustrated yells and nothing to assure the safety of Jerome and Amber. There was only a foot and a half left before the entire room was underwater.

Amber turned to Jerome. This was it. There was one last thing they had to do. If she was going to die, her final moment should be a blissful one. She grabbed Jerome's cheek and locked eyes with him. For a second all was calm as they leaned into each other, the space between them growing smaller and smaller. Finally their lips met giving them a tiny inkling of pure happiness.

Then many things happened at once. The water covered their heads, Nina and Patricia screamed and gave one final yank on the ropes, the door flew open, and all the water, along with Jerome and Amber, came pouring out from the room.

They were free.

A/N So I had this way better ending planned out, but it's already 1:00am, and I just really wanted to post it before I went to bed. Thanks for reading, and like I said already, please review!

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I am now going to bed because I am tired! Good night! (Why do I post all of my stuff late at night?)