Sorry for the LOOOONNNG wait! I hope this makes up for it, it's basically an intro to the next chapter. I need help putting all my ideas together, so they'll be some questions at the end of the chapter. A MAJOR thank you of course, to my readers, reviewers, favoriters and all-that-good-stuffers. To the chart:

Nina plays 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

"Can my prize be clarity?"

Fabian looked up from the book he was reading in the lounge. The question came from Mara, but she hadn't meant to ask it out loud. She looked beyond exhausted, but he noticed that Amber must have gotten to her with a comb, too. Mara had her head in her hand, and her bloodshot eyes were filled with conflicting emotions.

"What's up?" Fabian prompted, putting his book down beside him.

Mara slowly looked over at him. She seemed slightly uncomfortable with whatever thought lingered in her head, but confusion crept into her eyes then. "You're talking to me." She said that as if she couldn't believe it. This was the first time since their fight that Fabian initiated what had the potential to be a real conversation.

"Yes..." The somewhat goofy stress applied to the word implied that he was over their fight.

They shared a smile, hers as relieved as it was happy. Her expression settled back to a worrisome one. She looked like she didn't want to discuss what was on her mind, but only because she thought Fabian wouldn't want to hear it. She told him regardless.

"Yesterday, before Patricia went to the zoo, Joy told her she might want to change in case Jerome was the one who sent the invitation."

Fabian stifled a laugh. Not only because he didn't want Mara to think he regarded her problems as trivial, but he wasn't sure why he found that funny.

Mara went on without noticing. "Then later, while Patricia was with Mick at the zoo, and you were on your double date, Joy said she didn't want to be a third wheel to Jerome and I during our chess game."

Fabian didn't see Mara's point. He didn't want to be rude about it, but he didn't know what else to say besides: "So?"

"It just seems like she's switching sides." Mara explained, not offended by his reaction.

He saw her side of things then. She wanted to know who Joy thought belonged together. Who she was rooting for. And he had a thought on that. "What if she's not taking sides?"

Mara smiled. "Even so, she kept me up all night. Is it just me, or is this project making us question everything?"

"It's certainly giving me a new perspective."

"A lot of good has come out of it." Mara agreed. "So many new bonds. Like Mick and Patricia, with their actor-character zoo trip."

"Is that what you think that was?" Fabian couldn't help but ask. He only realized he'd done so when a look of pure puzzlement clouded Mara's eyes. Knowing he would hear about it later, he elaborated. "I think Mick wanted it to be more. It just didn't happen that way."

Mara's raised eyebrows settled down one at a time. Her face was still slightly contorted when she spoke next. "You mean... he likes her?" Fabian nodded. "Since when?" He searched her eyes. The look that had taken over them was neither aggravation nor curiosity. In fact, it was most comparable to pity.

With an innocent shrug, Fabian said: "Don't feel bad for him. If he really cares about her, he'll find a way to let her know."

Mara had to smile at that. She understood where Fabian was coming from.

"Yeah. If feelings are strong enough, they can make the shyest of hearts speak up." She said so with pride, and Fabian counted that as a compliment.

After a short, comfortable silence, he said: "You know, you gave me a good idea. Maybe we should have some actor-character bonding time."

"You as me and me as Alfie?" Mara asked, sounding amused. She liked that idea.

He reasoned: "You've hung out, it makes sense."

She agreed. "Sure." After they shared a laugh.

The second history class was over, Amber was in front of Jason's desk. He knew what was coming, and the expression on his face read: "Don't say it..."

A slight smirk was hidden underneath the shy smile Amber had mastered in all the time she'd been assigned her role. "It's sort of irrational. I mean, what does being jealous solve if you don't even admit to it?"

The real Fabian had to laugh lightly, hearing this. He thought back to when the project had been assigned. He remembered the jealousy he felt then, and was glad he hadn't spoken up about it. Especially since he realized he had nothing to be jealous of.

Jason, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to laugh. Even though on the inside, he almost wanted to. He had to admit -at least to himself- that he admired his students' persistence. On the outside, he was rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. "The minute I give you kids freedom of expression-"

"You can't say we abuse it. We're only telling you what everyone knows is the truth." This response came from Patricia. It earned her a look of annoyance, since Amber felt her moment in the spotlight had been stolen. "What? I can't let you have all the fun."

"How come I can't have any of the fun?" Jason questioned jokingly.

"I dunno." Alfie answered, American accent and all. "How come you can't admit you're jealous?" Being that they were the only kids who stuck around after the bell rang, the Anubis house residents were free to have a laugh riot.

"I'm not." Jason countered.

"It sure seems like you are." Fabian replied simply.

"Don't you all have somewhere to be right now?" While the housemates didn't feel like spoiling their own good time, their teacher had a point.

Mumbling the argument that they refused to put to rest, they rushed out of the room.

"Isn't it a little dangerous to try to multi-task while you're walking?" Patricia asked teasingly, though she was concerned.

Joy gave a quick nod, her eyes fixated on the notebook in her hand. "But I feel like I'm pressed for time."

"What are you trying to do, anyway?" That question came from Alfie, who was trying to read over Joy's shoulder as he walked with the girls.

Joy shielded the page from his view. "I figured out how to grade everyone, so I've officially started the scoring."

Patricia couldn't help that her response was in character, and after what her best friend told her, she was glad for that. "Oh, crud."

"That's what you should be saying," Joy told told Alfie. "considering Nina would never be this nosy."

He raised his eyebrows. "Have you met Nina?" The three friends chorused a laugh.

"Okay," Joy rephrased herself, admitting Alfie had a point. "but she's only nosy when she has to be."

"And I have to be, if I wanna do the best I can on this project." Alfie said, making one last futile effort to steal a glance at Joy's work. The girls rolled their eyes.

"Have some confidence in yourself, Alfie." Patricia advised, while Joy thought of a question for him.

"Who are you gonna hang out with for actor-character bonding time?" Going by the lost look on his face, word on that hadn't gotten around to Alfie. "Fabes and Mara came up with the idea." Joy told him.

"And lemme guess, Trixie's gonna spend that time with Mick."

"Of course," Joy agreed, especially because of the way Patricia reacted the last time she brought up Jerome. She turned her head to look at her best friend. "You two are practically attached at the hip."

"No, that's us." Patricia argued, making Joy smile with her. Her smile quickly turned into a grimace. "And don't you think it's time I give him a break?"

"Why, is he sick of you?" Alfie asked teasingly. That got him a stern nudge from Joy. "Which I can't imagine." He rephrased himself to be saved from any more pain.

"We'll see what happens." Patricia decided.

Drama class went uninterrupted, without anyone bringing up the possibility of Jason's jealousy at any point. He thought he wouldn't be hearing any more of that argument when the school day ended, and none of the residents of Anubis house had brought it up again. Until he spotted Jerome at the end of the hallway.

He looked like he'd been waiting there for some time. The confident smile on his face was one he modeled after Amber. Jason caught his glance, and answered it with a look of stubborn anticipation.

"You know," Jerome said, sounding the frustrated kind of exhausted. "as matchmaker," Jason held back a hopeless groan as his student continued on. "it would be devastating for me to ever do my job wrong." Jerome took a silent breath and got himself collected, speaking in a calm tone when he started up again. "But, as impossible as this sounds, maybe this time I am wrong. Maybe you two aren't meant to be together after all."

Unsure how to respond, Jason searched Jerome's stoic eyes. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew there was more to this fight besides giving it up. He didn't expect a true surrender, but he couldn't guess what was coming next.

"As a teacher, it's your job to set an example, Mr. Winkler. So do that. Set an example for everyone who's afraid to say how they feel."

Jerome didn't wait around for a reaction. He left, letting the words sink in. A smirk spread across his face as he walked away, and there was pride behind it. He didn't need words for reassurance. He could tell by the look in Jason's eyes that he'd won.

Fabian and Mara were the first of their housemates to get back home that afternoon. They knew they couldn't stand to stay inside for too long, but they had to figure out what to do instead. Fabian insisted on that, playing his part.

It made Mara groan, but not as much as she did mentally, when she saw his side of the room had become somewhat of a mess. She didn't think he was neglecting any part of his character's description. She took the untidiness as a sign that Fabian had been busy -as all of the housemates were lately- and this reminded them both that the project was actual work.

"I should probably clean up a bit." She held in a giggle as Fabian carefully went about doing that. He ended up putting his belongings in a neat pile, and got an idea when he saw what ended up on top: His present from Nina.

As he marveled at it again, he thought about what Nina said when she gave it to him. How she'd planned to buy a gift that fit Mara's character description, considering the project. And suddenly, Fabian didn't feel like celebrating for the sake of celebrating. He was planning a party with a purpose.

"Know any good music stores?"

Laughing, Mara raised her eyebrows. "If only Fabian were here, answering that question would be so much easier."

Fabian laughed back as he led the way out of the house. "As long as we have my careful planning, and your party animal instincts, this should be easy."

As soon as he got out of school, Mick went directly to check on his swing, before heading to the house. He was unassumingly overjoyed to find that it had survived the storm. Another victory for Mick Campbell. He made his way home, and met up with Amber and Joy on the way. They couldn't tell how happy he was, but they knew it had been a good day for him. Amber spoke to him as if that was about to change.

"Sorry, Mick."

He blinked, caught off guard by that statement. He probed: "For?"

"Well, you know how Fabian and Mara decided today was reserved for character and actor slash actress bonding time?"

He nodded, and Joy took over with explaining. "Jerome didn't think he could put up with more of Amber for awhile, after how long they talked before her double date. So, he asked Patricia." Her tone turned apologetic as she went on. "Unless you find them or Nina and Alfie, you're out of a partner for this segment of the project."

For a second, Mick thought Joy knew about his crush, which wouldn't be all that surprising to him. He'd be a bit annoyed, considering that would mean every kid in the house knew, except for Patricia, of course. Though Joy's sympathy was more general, since she felt out of place as well. It would be difficult keeping up her role as camerawoman when she didn't know where her actors were. She would definitely be making phone calls.

"So am I." Amber said sourly, though her friends didn't need to be reminded. She sounded clearly upset by that.

"Well, until we figure out where everyone's gone off to," Joy said, stepping in between her two friends. "we'll make our own fun."

"In character?" Amber asked after a scoff. "Impossible."

Even though Mick knew Amber was just bothered by not being chosen, he defended his best friend. "Fabian has fun."

Amber had to be careful not to accidentally hit Joy as she stretched to give Mick a playful shove. "Does Patricia?" Amber asked, while Mick chuckled and regained his footing.

"All the time, thanks to me." Joy got a laugh in response to that. She draped her arms around her friends' shoulders.

Since Amber and Mick were in character, it felt like old times as the three of them continued on their way back to the house.

Fabian searched through shelves upon shelves of CDs, but he wasn't haven't much luck finding anything he wanted, trying to put together a playlist for the end-of-the-project party.

"Why does every decision of yours have to be calculated?" Mara asked, almost sounding annoyed. "Don't read, just buy!"

He gave a light laugh in reply. "Where's the sense in that?"

"I don't see why we need new music anyway. Our house is already full of entertainers."

"Good point." Fabian said with a smile.

"And didn't you have other plans?" Mara asked in an implicit tone. Though that was unnecessary, since no one else around had any interest in what the two friends were planning.

"Yes."

"Then why are we wasting our time here?"

Before Fabian could say another word, Mara was dragging him out of the store with a strength he didn't know she had. He'd never expected her to take her role as Alfie so seriously. He didn't realize how spending a day with her in character would be.

As he struggled to stay on his feet, Fabian wondered if Mara simply interpreted Alfie's excited behavior to be this way, or if she'd experienced it directly. Either way, Fabian figured he would need a new pair of shoes by the end of the day, if she kept wearing them out for him like that. He mentally shook his head as they went through the door.

Me and my brilliant ideas…

Thanks for reading, PLEASE reveiw! The party is only a few chapters away. Do you want the project to last until Friday or Sunday? (Sunday would be a full two weeks.) What should Mara's prize for winning the contest be? Where should the actor-character bonding take place? Any ideas about Stan? (I'm definitely gonna try to get him a speaking scene soon.) What do you want everyone's score to be based on? (I have ideas of my own on that.) Ideas about anything else? Let me know what you think, I'll update ASAP! =]