Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis
Dedication: To the anonymous reviewer remainingamystery because they were the first reviewer and I agree with them! They said "If this wasn't so good I'd be really mad at you for starting another story but sadly it's nothing short of genius… Sigh." You guys should be mad! I'm terrible sometimes!

WARNING: CURSING AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

"All I know is we said hello and your eyes look like coming home. All I know is a simple name, everything has changed. All I know is you held the door. You'll be mine and I'll be yours. All I know since yesterday is everything has changed."

-Taylor Swift Ft. Ed Sheeran, Everything Has Changed

Tuesday, December 11th

"Joy?"

Joy turned around, facing Mick, who'd almost silently entered her room. She was sitting quietly on the edge of her unmade bed, her suitcase open in front of her. "I was just checking you're okay." Mick mumbled.

Joy looked away, focusing her gaze on anything but him. She felt the bed shift and knew instantly that he was sitting on her other side. Joy sighed. "Never in a million years did I think I'd see Nina Martin again. This is just bringing back so many crazy memories."

"I know, it's nuts." Mick muttered. "She… she looks good, you know?"

Joy faced Mick, a scowl on her face, "You like her again don't you?"

Mick shrugged, "I dunno. I mean, I haven't seen her in years. And we kind of were together you know? It's only natural for some kind of feelings to start to come back."

"Maybe."

"Joy, don't be this way," Mick sighed, getting up and running his fingers through his hair. He stepped into her line of vision, "You and I had something… but that was high school. We forgot about it when we went to college. But… you didn't want me then. God knows how much I pined for you in college but you didn't want me. Said you wanted to be free… didn't want to commit. But now suddenly you want me? It doesn't work that way Joy. I moved on. Now it's your turn."

Mick was storming out of the room as Fabian came in, "Mick? Where are you-"

Fabian's question was cut off by the slamming of the door. "Going…" he muttered smiling at Joy, "How's it going?"

"Not too bad," Joy said, smiling lightly. Fabian joined her on the bed, lightly shoving her shoulder.

"I think it's great," Fabian sighed, "God, I met the most amazing girl already."

Joy looked at him in surprise, "Who knew you were such a ladies man? Is it Amber Millington? Known at our school as Prom Queen Millington."

"No," Fabian laughed, "Nina Martin. I was just talking to her in the kitchen, she's really into Ancient Egypt, like me and she wants to be a writer and an English teacher. But, you know how that type of person is kind of boring, she's so not. She has the most amazing stories… Joy… you don't look well."

"Fabian if I tell you something can you promise you'll keep it a secret?" Joy muttered, looking at her feet, her voice shaking slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Please Fabian," Joy pleaded, "And don't get mad."

"Joy, what's going on?"

"Just say you won't tell." Joy said.

"I won't, now what's wrong?" Fabian asked.

"Nina and I went to high school together. She came junior year and she dated Mick." Joy told him, the impact of her words not falling into place for him yet.

"Oh, well that's not a big deal. I'll talk to Mick, I mean, it was high school." Fabian said, not sure why it was such a huge deal.

"And… I bullied her." Joy mumbled.

"Hey Nina!" Amber smiled, plopping down next to Nina on the couch, "You look happy."

"Isn't Fabian cute?" Nina said longingly, gazing into space. "I mean, he's like… really cute. He's got the greatest arms-"

"Slow your roll there," Amber shouted, stopping Nina's words, "Keep in mind that he's Joy's cousin. He could be just as bad as Joy for all we know."

"No!" Nina countered, pulling her legs in toward her as she faced her best friend, "He's not. We were both just in the kitchen…"

"Hi," Nina smiled, noticing Fabian enter the kitchen, "Hungry?"

"Starving." He muttered, smiling at her smile. He'd long decided that he smile was like angels giving Earth its light. "Is there anything at all?"

"You're lucky I never leave anywhere unprepared." Nina laughed, picking up the cooler she'd lugged with her. Sliding it open she pulled out some cheese, crackers, a bottle of wine and some cold cuts and bread.

Fabian's mouth was practically watering at the food as Nina searched the kitchen for a knife to slice the bread and cheese. Finding one and two wine glasses, she pulled up a stool and sat down.

"Hey there," Fabian said in a mock stern tone, "You're underage," he pulled her glass away, "No wine for you."

"Oh no," Nina countered, pulling her wine glass back from him, "I'm over eighteen."

"Sure, but in America you have to be twenty-one, so I'll take that," Fabian joked, grabbing the glass again.

"There's nothing else," Nina whined, "Do you want me to get dehydrated?"

Fabian sighed, "We can't have that can we?" He attempted to place the glass back down in front of her, but missed by a mile (he was too busy getting lost in her eyes) and the glass hit the floor instead, "Shit!"

Nina laughed at the humiliated look on his face and the blush that had spread to his ears, "You're really denying me my drink now."

Fabian threw a towel over the glass and began to clean it up, ignoring Nina's pleas to help. After a few minutes it was cleaned up. He found her another glass and they began to enjoy the mini feast.

"So," Nina said, "You're going to graduate this year?"

"Yeah," Fabian smiled, "Oxford. I managed to cram in all my classes and I've got my teaching degree and, I'm set. I don't need to go anymore."

"You got you're degree in teaching?" Nina asked, completely shocked, "They told me I'd have to go to school for another four years to get my degree."

"Well, I didn't have much of a social life," Fabian admitted with a hint of embarrassment, "I crammed every single class I could get into a semester and managed to get it done."

"You're so lucky. I've been dying to teach English." Nina said, her voice full of jealousy.

"You want to be an English teacher?" Fabian asked. He was shocked. Someone as pretty as her normally went for the more glamorous jobs.

"I always have." Nina sighed, "I've been working toward writing a novel. It's my dream to be published, but I know the income wouldn't be enough and being an English teacher is so appealing. I get to teach kids and try to get them interested."

"I've always wanted to teach history." Fabian told her.

"I love Egyptian History." Nina admitted, "It's my favorite."

"Mine too!" Fabian shouted. This girl just kept on surprising him.

"I've wanted to visit Egypt forever. I want to see the ruins and the pyramids in person, not just in pictures." Nina sighed.

"Oh it's great in person. The pyramids are huge." Fabian said, recalling his trip from before his freshman year in college.

"You've been to Egypt?" Nina said, the jealousy filling her voice again.

Fabian nodded, "I traveled the year after I graduated high school. I went to New York, Egypt, Mexico, Italy, Spain and California."

Nina smiled, "I'm from New York."

"They say Paris is the city of lights, right?" Fabian said, "I disagree. At night, the lights in New York are so bright that you can't see the stars. I took in as much as I could. I just wished I was there over New Year's. You know, to see the ball drop."

"That's been a dream of mine forever too." Nina sighed, "One year, Eddie's mom promised she would take us to see the ball drop. But then it snowed too hard for us to go. She made us go to our room for a while and when she called us back down, she'd created her own ball to drop in our living room."

"No way," Fabian laughed. Both their hands were resting on the table. If Fabian just reached over a little they'd be holding hands. He examined the light pink color of her nails. He's decided that the color she's wearing is his new favorite. "I'm sure you were surprised."

"Of course I was, I was seven." Nina laughed. Nina couldn't believe she was actually having a conversation was someone related to Joy. Joy was always the cruelest person to her and to talk to someone who has the same blood as her and to be actually connecting with him… was something surreal. Joy would pitch a fit if she found out.

"We're going to have to figure something out for New Year's this year." Fabian added, "And Christmas is only two weeks away. We'll have to do something cool. Maybe we'll drop a ball in the living room."

Nina smiled, "Maybe."

"Okay…" Amber mumbled, "So, do you like him? And I don't mean, as a friend, I mean love."

"I just met him Amber," Nina sighed, honestly knowing the answer but choosing not to tell her. Nina didn't believe in love at first sight, soulmates or love in general. Her Gran and her husband were divorced before they died, so were her adoptive parents. Her mom and dad had gotten in a car crash because they were fighting (she should know, she was in the backseat). There was nothing in her life to lead her to believe in love. She always denied that it existed, because she always believed in the facts. And no facts could back up that love was really out there. But inside, she was dying to find love, to prove it was real.

"Fine, don't tell me." Amber sighed.

"What?" Fabian asked, his voice sharp as he stood, glancing at his cousin. "What the fuck did-"

"You remember the school website, right? You know, The Jackal." When Fabian nodded, Joy continued, "The year she came, Mick was just about to ask me out. But then he asked her out. I was so furious and jealous… I posted on the website that she was cheating on him."

"That's not terrible-"

"I also said that if she dropped a few she could get a guy of her own instead of stealing one." Joy interrupted. "And she became bulimic for a few weeks because of it." Fabian looked disgusted, but Joy continued anyway, "The school never found out it was me who posted it, but Amber did, and she told Nina. She convinced Nina that I was just a bitch, and she stopped making herself throw up, thank God. So, to get back at her, I made out with Mick and made sure she saw."

Fabian opened his mouth and closed it a couple times. Joy didn't want to continue, but she had to finish the story, "She confronted me the next day. I told her she had what was coming to her, because he was mine first. I said that she was a stupid, American without real parents and no family. And I told her I'd kill her if I ever saw her with Mick again."

Joy so desperately wanted to should that she was kidding. She'd done no such thing and she'd never think of it. But she couldn't. After a minute, Fabian spoke, "Are you done? Or did you do more horrible things?"

"That's it." Joy said. Fabian was silent again, "Fabian say something."

"I don't know what to say." Fabian muttered. "You know, they used to give us those lectures on bullying when we were in school and I was always satisfied in knowing that no one I knew was that horrible. I guess I was wrong."

"Fabian, don't say that," Joy pleaded, "I'm not like that anymore, that was the lowest point of my life. But you can't say anything to Nina."

"Why?" Fabian asked, "Don't you want to apologize? Make everything right?"

"I want to do it right," Joy said, "I can't just go up to her and say 'Hey there! Sorry I threatened your life and made you bulimic! Did you see the newest episode of Pretty Little Liars?' I'll do it when we're alone. When the times right."

"Fine."

Fabian left and Joy followed. She noticed Nina right away, talking to Mick. Her eyes narrowed.

She could apologize for what she did, but Nina can't have Mick. Or Fabian.

Next time…

While Joy's busy scheming, Fabian learns the relationship between Eddie and Nina. Could Eddie's endless taunting of Fabian during high school affect his feelings for Nina? And when Joy finds Mick flirting with someone who's not Nina, she realizes who her real enemy is.