Happy New Year! This is for all my readers, reviewers, idea givers and all-that-good-stuffers, in celebration of the season 2 premiere! (I CAN'T WAIT!)

Nina play Mick/Fabian plays Mara/Patricia plays Jerome/Amber plays Fabian/Mick plays Patricia/Mara plays Alfie/Jerome plays Amber/Alfie plays Nina

I do not own House Of Anubis

In the aftermath of Mara's shining moment, the kids of Anubis house were all on cleanup duty. Which put a smug smile on Victor's face. Trudy and Mrs. Lewis offered helping hands that they politely refused. Mick took his sweet time, not sure what he was trying to avoid. He'd been holding his tongue since supper. Alfie followed his lead, afraid of what would happen now that his father knew the truth.

But Mr. Lewis had nothing to say, even as he left.

"In time, he'll come around." Marcia assured her son. He gave a slight nod, while suppressing a sigh. She could tell he didn't agree with her, so she said something she'd wanted to say for a long time. Something she would've been afraid to say if it weren't for what had just happened. "Sometimes when we want the people we love to be happy, we'll do anything. Even if it means losing ourselves. But, the important thing is to remember who we are and stay true to that. You reminded me that today. And even though it's going to take your father some time to adjust, I for one have never been more proud of you." They exchanged smiles and she kissed him goodbye, giving Mara a proud "Brava" as her final word.

Instead of watching his parents leave, Alfie turned to Mara and said: "Good work." But her act wasn't just entertaining. It was healing. So, he added: "Thanks."

Mara was about to thank him back -for the compliment and not being angry with her- but she realized she'd be walking into her own trap. Lucky for her, Patricia came to her rescue.

"I think I owe you an apology." Jerome had been thinking that way about a lot of people lately, so he found that fitting. Though saying that was against the rules. Even if it wasn't, he knew he wouldn't admit that.

Mara shook her head dismissively. "You were right." A cheeky sort of smile spread across her lips. "So I guess that's two miracles that happened here today, counting me standing up to my dad."

Patricia scoffed, but she was drowned out by laughter from the others.

"I was hoping we could talk, but I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Dad, I'm sure it's fine." Nina answered smoothly, though she was only referring to the amount of time Mr. Campbell could spend visiting. She still dreaded a full conversation, speculating that everything she said would be the wrong answer.

"In that case, do you want to go for a walk?"

"That's not really my speed." Nina replied, as more of a defense mechanism than an honest answer. She tried to hide her nervousness with a chuckle. But it didn't matter, because Rory hadn't picked up on it. He was too focused on the words themselves to notice the mood behind them.

"You know, going so fast… you probably miss a lot."

Nina couldn't help but find Mr. Campbell's advice insulting, even though she had been the one to tell Mick to quit running from his problems. She understood why that was so tempting. "You must really have something important to say if you can't say it in front of everyone." Nina felt the only way to act like she wasn't bothered by the idea of a private conversation was to make more jokes. "You got something on me?" She asked this hoping that would be a 'no'. Suddenly, she didn't want to know any more of Mick's secrets.

"Not unless you have something to hide." Rory had been taking clues from Nina's performance so far, and that seemed to be the case.

She didn't want to get the real Mick in trouble, and at this point would rather take a verbal 'beating' for him. Even though Mr. Campbell wasn't asking for a fight.

The two walked into the living room, where all the other kids were waiting. The group looked up at the father and 'son' as if they were a pack of dogs who just spotted a squirrel. Except for Mick. He was more focused on his shoes.

Rory and Nina took their seats and began talking as if no one else was there. Not only did Nina believe her project grade was on the line, she could see that Mick was trying to brave the situation with her. He made Patricia-perfect side comments as they spoke. Regardless of Mick never knowing exactly what to expect from his father, and being slightly intimidated, he always faced him. If Nina were to win the contest, she had to do the same.

Only, that wasn't so easy. Especially not with the question Mr. Campbell came up with. "Are you still playing piano?"

Nina blinked briefly and shook off an agitated sigh. Though, her tone did nothing to hide her annoyance. "Dad."

As a few snickers escaped into the air, Rory realized something. He thought aloud: "Apparently I do have something on you."

"Mick, you know what this means, don't you?" Amber asked, making Nina draw a blank. The only answer she could think to give was that Mick's secret was out, and there was no doubt that he was embarrassed about it. But he wouldn't show it, so she didn't either.

"Jam session." Amber supplied, since Nina didn't take part in guessing.

"What it means is that Mick has hidden depths." Mara answered teasingly, although it was obvious she -or Alfie, for that matter- would've never pegged Mick as a piano player.

Nina looked dumbfounded. She asked: "Doesn't everybody?"

"How long have you been playing?" Patricia asked. Then she had what she figured was a very Jerome-like thought, and decided to voice it. "And how much could I make if I decided to put up with you enough to become your manager?"

"Not that long," Nina took the question seriously, but got cocky with her answer. (Even though she was trying to sound deep.) "and you can't put a price on my work."

Mick wondered if anyone would bother to even listen to his work. He was glad Nina hadn't started an argument over the whole thing. She easily could have, but no one needed the extra stress.

Nina was glad no one had asked her to demonstrate Mick's piano-playing skills. In that case, she was sure to fail.

"I really didn't think this through." Alfie thought aloud. He felt like he was in exile. There was only room in the group for one Alfie, and Mara had that role filled.

"Do you wish someone would lose with you?" Trudy asked.

"That's one way to put it." Alfie answered. Truthfully, he couldn't have said it better himself.

"It sounds like you're in the same boat with Victor. She admitted: "He'd be happy if this were over with.".

Alfie didn't have time to comment on how 'Victor' and 'happy' didn't belong in the same sentence. He was too busy making sure he didn't catch flies when his jaw dropped. "He wants to call off the project?"

Trudy sighed heavily but silently. "That's one way to put it." Her echo was half-hearted, since her heart sank. "I'm sorry, Lovey."

Alfie thought it was typical of Trudy to think there was nothing left to fight for. Though she supported the project, she didn't see it as something worth saving. It wasn't like her to disagree with or push for something. She was neutral by nature, and would rather just stay out of everyone else's way. Alfie wanted to tell her that, but he wasn't looking to offend her. He had to speak his mind kindly. And in a way that would stick.

"We're not quitters, Trudes." They shared a smile, and turned their attention back to rest of the group.

Amber was in the middle of strumming 'her' guitar -which now had one glow-in-the-dark string- when she caught sight of Alfie from the corner of her eye. She saw him looking lonely, and wondered if he was trying to bait her into breaking character. As if she was going to let that happen.

Something interrupted her song: A panicked scream from her own mouth -that had everyone else panicked- which ended in a cry of "I BROKE A NAIL!"

Just like that, her chance at winning the contest was gone. Amber didn't wait around for anyone to react. She just ran straight into Alfie arms, whining all the way. They shared a hug that Joy filmed and then he took her hands in his. He examined them, and then squinted. Alfie looked up at Amber, puzzled. "Which nail did you break?" They all looked polished and perfect, as always.

In response, Amber punched him in the arm. Something she hadn't done in a long time. "That's for making me soft." Her teasing proved that the broken nail had been nothing but a cover story. She sent Alfie a smile that he couldn't resist mirroring. Especially not after she told him: "You're my prize."

By the next morning, Alfie and Amber were still the only two out of the running in the contest. When Joy came to give them the update at breakfast, she -of course- had her camera rolling.

"You don't have to tell us twice." Alfie informed her. "Jerome kept me up all night feeding me tips from fashion magazines."

"It's amazing how he still manages to find ways to torture you even in character." Joy told him teasingly, after a laugh.

"That's not torture," Amber argued. "that's valuable information!"

"Valuable information that kept me from sleeping. If I doze off during our date tonight, you know who to blame."

Amber blinked, and spoke slowly. "Myself?"

With a laugh, Alfie snatched the camera from Joy.

"Hey!" She protested since she'd become so attached to it.

"Let me take over filming for awhile." Alfie insisted.

"If I do that, all I'll have is footage of Amber. And if I let her take over, it'll be the same story."

When history was over, drama started. Not the class, but Mara was stirring up trouble. Though, usually, Jerome was the pilot of all that.

Mara was mulling over how her housemates knew they needed to do something about their 'Stan situation', but never took action. They weren't known for being all talk, and she wasn't going to let them. Especially not with Ms. Robinson right outside the door, receiving a cart full of flowers that the delivery men doubted would fit in the classroom.

Patricia started the banter that got the ball rolling. "So, the theory is Stan's dumb and rich and Mrs. Robinson's a gold-digger…"

"Well, we have to give Ms. Robinson some credit. She has to have a heart; otherwise you wouldn't have such a crush on her." Mara teased, very much in character. "Maybe Stan's just a show off. Or worse, maybe he took all the money he used to buy those flowers from her pocket."

Patricia gave that some thought. "Hmm. For once, your theory holds more water." She gave Mara a clap of mock pride on the shoulder while Jason shook his head, overhearing. Though he wasn't making an effort to do so, the girls just didn't care about being quiet. And their classmates didn't mind. It was keeping them entertained.

Only, for Mara, the show wasn't over. Not even when class ended, and the other students shuffled out of the room. Jason looked on at the spot where Ms. Robinson had collected all her bouquets as he neatened a stack of papers.

Mara spoke a sentence to him in a series of bleeps, bloops, blops and blips.

The look Jason gave Mara was comparable to the one Alfie gave Jerome when he found him putting sugar on his lips.

"That's Alien for 'You're so jealous it's scary.' Mara explained.

If it was considered professional to groan and throw papers, Jason would have. But Mara took his cold silence as assurance that she had gotten through to him. And that was the first step to getting him to crack.

"Mr. Winkler!"

Jason turned in the hallway to see Nina running to catch up to him. He didn't know what was coming, but he hoped she wasn't following Mara's lead. The day had barely begun and practically everyone he knew was making a game out of how jealous he -supposedly -was. And a joke out him, as he saw it.

"Yes, Mick?" It was obvious Nina hadn't lost the contest. She even ran the way Mick did. It was impressive, but startling.

"I wanted to ask about extra credit." Surprisingly, the dropping history grade was Nina's problem, but she went about discussing it in a very Mick-like way. In this instance, the rules were stretched, so that was perfectly acceptable.

Nina looked as if it was painful for her to say more. That made sense to Jason. Mick didn't like to feel weak in any sense, even if the typical jock wasn't known for good grades. (Plus, Mick wasn't the typical jock.) Jason figured that he wouldn't make the situation any more difficult for that reason. On the in character side of things, he knew Mick would have more than one reason for asking. He guessed that the rationale behind Rory's visit probably had something to do with grades.

"See me after drama." Four words, no pressure. Jason was thankful Nina hadn't brought up the 'Topic of the Day'.

Nina sent him a very Mick-like smile, on account of the sympathy, and said "Thanks." Then, slyly, she added: "You thought I was gonna tease you about how jealous you are of Stan, didn't you?"

Jason narrowed his eyes involuntarily. "You can forget about the extra credit." He said this as a mumble. Though -as Nina saw it- that was just the jealousy talking.

"Oh, c'mon. Even my father can see it. We were just talking about it at breakfast." She was obviously joking with that last part, and Jason figured he might as well play along.

"What's he still doing here?"

"I don't know." Nina answered, looking spacey. As if she feared finding out the answer. It seemed like she needed to do so quickly though, and the question preoccupied her thoughts as she walked off to her next class.

As Jason resumed walking to get back to business, he saw Joy duck back around a corner to avoid being caught with her camera. She'd had it rolling throughout the whole conversation, and was in the middle of a silent laughing fit.

Jason had to deal with the real Mick once drama class was over. Sticking to his role, Mick was talking to him like they were on the same level, the way Patricia would. "I know you, and I know you're jealous."

Jason didn't have any way to respond, through with arguing. Plus, it was hard to think of an answer with all the chatter going on, courtesy of Amber.

"Alfie, I really wish Jerome would hurry up and lose."

He had a hunch she didn't mean that so they could have his company. "Why?" He asked this under laughs.

"He did a terrible job as a wingman for you. I don't think he ever even tried. But now we've got our date tonight. Which means he's gotta be my wingman."

Alfie was still lost. He pointed out: "But you've already got me, and I've got you." He picked Amber up and carried her out of class, much to her surprise and delight. Though she'd never let him know. Amber liked to tease Alfie too much.

"Al-fie, put me down!"

He complied without argument. "Okay, I'm listening." He was ready for whatever crazy idea she had. So was Jerome, following right behind. There was absolutely no way he was going to give up the contest. Which meant he had to carry out Amber's plan of attack.

"Jerome's your best friend, which means he knows you better than anyone else in the house. If this date's going to be perfect, I have to spend all the time I have before it -other than beautifying time- with him, asking all the important questions. Like… whether or not your obsession with aliens comes from fear, jealousy or just fascination, and if your dog allergy was damaging to your social upbringing."

"Whatever makes you happy." Alfie said with a smile.

Jerome smiled too, because the way he saw it, he got to torture Patricia until she cracked under the pressure. Then, it would be three down, four to go.

Once the school day was over, Mick planned on heading back to the house, but something stopped him. He couldn't really say if what caught his eye would do the same for Patricia, but -to his knowledge- Joy wasn't around to tell him otherwise.

He peered in the gym window to find Nina making shots with her back toward the hoop. In the stands, her spectators didn't seem too interested in what she was doing. Jerome was sticking to Amber's plan and bombarding Patricia with questions. At this point, it seemed like she didn't know whether to be irate or hysterical with laughter.

But that wasn't the strangest thing. Nina had another person on the court with her: Mick's father.

Mick almost laughed about her trying to get his father to join in the fun (all in a very Mick-like manner). It wasn't Rory's brand of fun, and he certainly wasn't dressed for it. But Mick couldn't find it funny. Especially not when -in the background- Jerome was practically in Patricia's lap, trying to get her to pay him some attention. (Mick never remembered Amber being that clingy -even in a literal sense- with anybody.) It was distressing to watch.

As Mick's father reluctantly submitted and took hold of the basketball, Mick didn't think he could stand to see much more. He shook his head, incredulous, and walked on down the hallway toward home.

Joy loved the project, but the contest was starting to get on her nerves. She was starting to see it wasn't the smartest idea, with her overly-competitive housemates. On any normal day of the project, they would be able to go in and out of character as the need called for it. But in this situation, they were stuck until they either slipped up or gave up.

Not that she thought any of her housemates would give up the contest. They had too much pride. Maybe that's what got Victor so frustrated with the project that he demanded an end be put to it. But no one had his back on that. Not even Trudy. He was just going to have to suffer through the next few days.

Joy felt she was suffering too. Most of the time, it was fun to film her housemates. With Jerome carrying out Amber's plan and questioning Patricia to no end, Mara becoming fully immersed in trying to teach herself an alien language, and Nina bonding with Mr. Campbell over sports and stories. But Alfie hadn't cracked a smile in awhile, on account of Amber's relentless efforts to get Jerome to break character.

"She just won't quit." Alfie said hopelessly.

Joy shrugged. "At least she has good intentions."

"It's pointless though. Like Jerome would help her."

"You never know." Joy answered, quoting Mara. Though she could understand where he was coming from.

"Isn't the reason people go on dates to get to know each other? And I thought the more spontaneous they were the better."

When Joy opened her mouth to answer, Patricia came running into the living room.

"Somebody get this girl away from me. She wants to test her makeup out on me. Why can't she be her own model?"

"Good point." Jerome agreed, as he came into view. "I do have the look for it." He cut Patricia's sigh of relief short. "But my idea's more fun."

Patricia swallowed a groan. "Has anyone ever told you that you're insane?"

"Not recently." Jerome answered, with no hesitation.

Alfie and Joy exchanged looks and laughs as the two others exited the room, off running again.

Only then did the real Amber show up. "There's no way Jerome should still be in the contest now. I could never run that fast in my footwear." Before Joy could say anything, Amber had a thought. "Has anyone seen Fabian?"

"You mean 'Mara'?" Alfie asked.

"Same difference."

"Come to think of it… no." Joy replied.

The kids couldn't go to Trudy with the question of Fabian's whereabouts, because she wasn't around either. And they certainly weren't going to ask Victor because… he was Victor.

In the hallway, they discovered that someone had signed out. "He's out." Joy said, staring at the page in front of her.

"Well, duh." Amber answered teasingly.

"Question is, where did he go?" Alfie asked. Mara wasn't one to wander.

"No," Joy said. "I mean… he's out."

The couple followed Joy's gaze and saw what she was referring to. The signature: Fabian Rutter.

Fabian showed up to his uncle's antique store with his hands full. It was usually Ade's 'job' to serve the food, and Fabian figured he deserved a break from that. As well as a visit from his nephew. Which is exactly why Fabian had given up the contest.

It's a wonder how he managed to knock on the door, but soon enough Ade answered. With Trudy at his side.

"Oh, look who it is." She said so happily, obviously surprised.

"How can I?" Ade joked. It was quite a challenge. The adults took some of what Fabian was carrying and let him walk in. "What's the occasion?" Ade asked his nephew, since there was always a reason behind Fabian's visits.

Fabian thought of the simplest way to say that -this time- there really was no reason, while a smile spread across his lips. "No reason. And it's about time, too."

"Not only do you have a great appetite, you can cook as well."

"You're surprised?" Nina asked, as she led Rory through the front door. She was surprised he hadn't gotten tired from all the running around they'd been doing, and guessed that high levels of stamina ran in the family. As Mr. Campbell answered, she noticed that the real Mick was sitting at the kitchen table with Joy, Alfie, Amber and Mara. He was silent, like he had been all afternoon. Though that wasn't a problem. Patricia could go days without talking if she wanted to.

"Not at all." It was getting difficult to be surprised by anything Mick did lately. "Just proud of my multi-talented son."

"Thanks, Dad. Though, I doubt eating counts as a talent." The two shared a laugh that had begun to sound strangely similar over the course of the day, before being cut off.

"Nobody. Say. Anything."

The group took one look at Patricia in pink makeup and burst out laughing. (Which came as a great relief to Mick, being that he -inexplicably- had bitten his tongue so much that it had begun to bleed. And he only laughed because it looked weird. Good, but weird.) While Jerome smiled at his work, she glared at everyone.

"Technically we didn't say anything." Mara pointed out, rather loudly. In an Alfie-like fashion.

Rory raised an eyebrow and looked at his 'son'. "This is a normal day in your house?"

Nina only nodded, still laughing silently, while her 'father' spoke.

"I almost forgot, I have something for you."

Mick turned his head to see Nina and his father walking out the door again. He quickly turned back around to see Jerome and Patricia heading toward the bathroom to wash off the makeup.

"I really don't need your help with this." Patricia insisted, while something inside Mick slowly sank.

"Shows what you know." Jerome replied after a scoff.

Something broke through the silence that fell after that.

A laugh. A genuine laugh, from Patricia. One Mick could picture, that no doubt involved her tossing her head back and closing her eyes as her face turned a deep red. A laugh that couldn't be faked. For a sound so beautiful -according to Mick's ears- it was jarring.

Chair legs scraped along the floor dramatically. Mick spoke just two words -clear as day- as he left. Two words his character would never utter: "I quit."

"Did you see that?" Joy asked, as the others looked after him, not nearly half as stunned as she was.

"What?" The three of them chorused, their confusion making them choke out the word.

"His eyeliner is running…"

Nina crossed the soccer field at a swift speed. Rory was nowhere near her, for a change. Instinct told her where to go, and she ended up under the bleachers.

"Is this where you go when you lose?" She asked this of Mick in her own voice.

He replied: "It's just comfortable." He wouldn't look at her. He wouldn't even open his eyes.

Nina kept a space between the two of them, but lied down to see if she agreed with him. She did, but she didn't say so. There was something more important to discuss.

"Why did you give up the contest?" Word spread fast in Anubis house, but Nina only knew that one detail. Though the appropriate question seemed to be "Who did you give up the contest for?"

Alfie had thrown in the towel for Mara, so she wouldn't have to deal with his father anymore. Plus, he was giving up the lie. So, he counted his loss as a victory. Amber lost on purpose so that she could be with Alfie, even though her plan was getting in the way of that a bit. Fabian did what he did for his uncle, because he knew it was the right thing to do. And Nina? She did it for Mick, knowing that he wouldn't forfeit the contest without a good reason.

"I was… frustrated with myself." Mick admitted, though that took some time.

"And, again… why?" She didn't care if it took all night, she was determined to get an answer out of him.

Mick managed a small chuckle in reply. "Jealousy is a stupid emotion."

Nina nodded, wondering how much longer he was going to stall. " Who are you jealous of? Jerome and Patricia?" She would've latched 'again' to the end of that question, but thought that cruel. Even if those days seemed to be over.

"No!" Mick dismissed.

Nina was startled by his answer. It was abrupt, loud and rude. But it was honest, in a way that suggested he wished it didn't have to be. For her, that was the worst part. If her answer was wrong, then what was the right answer?

Mick sat up and looked at Nina. She could see that his eyeliner was smudged, and most of it had ended up on his sleeves. She held back a gulp as he spoke.

"Did you know that in less than two days you've built a better relationship with my father than I have my whole life?"

Nina's face fell. "Mick, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize." He suppressed a sigh before continuing on. "I'm being selfish. It's not like you have a father."

"That doesn't give me the right to steal yours."

After he walked out from under the bleachers with Nina, Mick shook his head. He told her: "You didn't do anything wrong." She still felt low as he went on.

"Except that you gave me too much credit."

Those words stung, but Mick wasn't done talking. "My dad and I were never that close. We didn't share hobbies, or stories, or… laughs. And it's my fault."

Mick thought about how he was so stubborn he never once thought about giving up the contest for his dad. To him, it was sickening. To Nina, Mick's venting sounded more like self-loathing. She'd heard enough, and had to put a stop to it.

"Listen, it's a whole different playing field." This statement got Mick's attention. He knew Nina had a point to make, and wasn't going to jump down her throat. "I may put on a show but, at the end of the day, that's all it is. You're the one he's here for. He's got no demands, no complaints. He just wants to see you."

Mick blinked. "You're not just saying that?" He asked this though he didn't think she would.

"No." Nina answered. "He told me so… at least fifty times."

They smiled in sync.

"I have to fix this." Mick said, though he really didn't have to. His eyes said that on their own.

Nina giggled over him being dramatic. She urged: "Go talk to your dad." Though he didn't seem to need any extra encouragement.

When Mick paused, Nina figured she was wrong about that. "Thanks." He told her.

Nina didn't bother to say "You're welcome." She didn't need to. She knew Mick, and he was already off and running.

She was positive she had never seen him run faster.

"Did I miss anything while I was out?" Fabian asked. Going by his housemates' expressions, that was an obvious 'yes'.

"Crazy day." Joy said simply, and the three others at the kitchen table nodded in agreement.

"Crazier than normal?" Fabian thought aloud, as if asking for proof.

"Patricia wore pink makeup that Jerome forced on her." Amber reported.

Trying to be discreet since Mr. Campbell was in the room, Alfie brought his tone of voice down to a whisper when he spoke. "Mick cried." Still shocked, he wasn't sure where to put the emphasis.

"What? Why?"

Before anyone even had a chance to guess, the door opened.

"Dad?"

Everyone's eyes were on Mick after that call. Rory stood up and walked over, the look on his face a mix of surprise and confusion since he only then figured out that his son had given up the contest. Those emotions were overshadowed by happiness, since that meant the two of them were finally able to talk.

In that moment, Mick did the only thing he could think to do. He gave his father a hug.

"Aw." 'Both' Ambers commented. Though, only the real one sounded sincere. Her actor sounded sarcastic.

"You just lost." Patricia pointed out, not showing her surprise over such a simple slip up.

"So did you." Jerome told her, since calling someone out on breaking character was against the rules.

Nina came back into the house just in time to see Mara throw her hands up in the air and shout "VICTORY!"

A collective laugh answered her back...

Original A/N: Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW! Favorite part? Things to elaborate on? Any ideas? I'll update ASAP! =]

Updated A/N: With this chapter, the contest comes full circle. Alfie loses, "Alfie" wins.