Zia's feeling much better. Of course, it helped remembering the expression on Desjardins' face when she bit him. And thanks for all the good luck wishes!

Anyway, this one is actually quite fluffy, without a trace of angst anywhere in it. Really. You can check. *runs angst detector over chapter* See? Nothing.

Also, this is dedicated to I'mDifferent—GetOverIt. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TORI! I FINISHED IT AFTER ALL!

I do not own the Kane Chronicles.

O-o-O

Carter supposed he would always be confused by normal teenage games.

Although, in his defense, he had every right to be a little concerned when he walked out of the library with Zia, laughing as she imitated one particularly nasty female magician from the First Nome, only to find Walt down on one knee in front of Sadie. The other residents of Brooklyn House were squashed on chairs and couches, some of them sprawled on the floor, laughing freely. Sadie was staring at Walt with a valiant attempt at an emotionless mask, but her lip was quivering like she was trying not to giggle.

"What is going on?" Zia said, her eyes flicking around the room, her expression somewhere between confusion and disgust.

Sadie cracked up, and Walt jumped to his feet, yelling, "I got you! Move it, Sades."

"No fair!" she protested. "You didn't do anything!"

"Doesn't matter," Anisa said. "You laughed."

Sadie grumbled incoherently as she rose from the couch, Walt taking her place with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Hello?" Carter said. "Still confused over here."

"It's a game," Anisa said. "Please tell me you've heard of If You Love Me!"

"What?" Zia asked.

So Carter had the rules of the game explained to him—by about a dozen people at once. He gathered that one player started in the middle of the circle, and made their way to different people, saying, "Honey, if you love me, will you please just smile?" If they succeeded in making another player smile or laugh, they won and their opponent was stuck in the middle. If you were being asked the question, you had to maintain eye contact and reply, "I love you but I just can't smile."

"So," Walt finished, "You two want to play?"

Zia shrugged and sat on the arm of a couch that seemed to have been claimed by the girls; Anisa, Cleo, and Alyssa were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder. Carter joined Walt on the other couch, Felix scooting over to make room.

"Can I go now?" Sadie sighed, tapping her foot impatiently, then knelt in front of Felix. "Felix, darling?" she said.

"Yes?" Felix responded, trying to keep a straight face, but he bit his lip.

"If you love me, will you smile?"

Felix grinned and snickered, then slid to the floor and ran across the room. "Hey, Cleo?"

"Yes?"

Felix made Bambi eyes, and her lip started quivering.

"Will you smile?" he said with a pout. Cleo grinned and stood, turning to her left. "Anisa, if you love me, will you smile?"

"I love you but I just can't smile," she said, beaming. An instant later she realized her mistake and jumped to her feet, yelling, "Crap you! Why do you always pick on the smiley people?"

Cleo shrugged and allowed herself a little smirk as she took her seat.

Anisa stood in the middle of the room for a moment, chewing her lip as she glanced from face to face, and then her gaze landed on Carter and she broke out in a rather evil-looking grin. Then she skipped across the room.

And sat in his lap.

"Um…hi," he said, shifting uneasily as the rest of the room burst out into laughter, even Zia. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a really bony butt?"

"Yep," she chirped happily. "Carter, do you love me?"

"I…guess?" he muttered uneasily.

"Will you smile for me?" she pouted, and stroked his cheek, which was the last straw. He snorted, and she jumped, saying, "Wow, you really suck at this game, don't you? Move it."

He got up and went to smack her shoulder, but she neatly dodged the blow and fell onto the couch, sticking her tongue out at him.

He surveyed the room for a long minute before sighing and kneeling in front of Zia. "Don't make me do this," he begged. She shrugged, her face irritatingly blank.

"Fine," he muttered. "If you love me, will you please just smile?"

"I love you, but I just can't smile," she replied, her features void of any expression.

"Dissed by your own girlfriend," Walt said, shaking his head slowly. "Pathetic."

Zia raised an eyebrow, and ducked down to kiss Carter full on the mouth, which earned a few whistles.

She straightened up, and Carter threw his hands up, saying, "What was that?"

"They never said I couldn't kiss you," she said. "And I didn't smile." Which was true; her expression was still deadpan.

"Women," Carter muttered, and stalked out of the room, raucous laughter at his heels.

O-o-O

Poor Carter…So confused by the complexity of the female mind ;)

And Zia is beast at this game, is she not?