A/N: Just wanted to say that unless stated otherwise, each theme is not connected in any way to the previous theme. Enjoy!

"…": characters talking to each other

'…': characters talking to themselves

(…): extra facts about something in the story

(Takes place sometime after "Mystic Fate II")

Theme 2: Routine

Rock Porium, November 10, 2006, 11:00 AM – Briarwood, CA, USA

"What are you doing?" Nick Russell asked, olive green eyes questioning his friend's unnatural obsession with looking between the blinds that covered the window in their boss's office. Chip and Nick were currently organizing the store's affairs in mounds of paperwork while Madison was taking care of customers at the register. Phineas and Leelee were both off that day, Xander was stocking records and extra boxes of CDs in the back of the store, and Vida was doing her job as head DJ. Correction: Nick was doing the paperwork while Chip was supposedly "observing" from inside the office through the meager space offered by the splitting of two window blinds. Their boss, Toby, had taken some time off due to a family emergency, somehow thinking to take his scuba gear with him as well. He had left orders that Xander be in charge of the store, with Vida be his second-in-command, upon which his other employees had inwardly groaned, knowing that an eruption was liable to happen at any time. Phineas hadn't taken notice of the meaning of Toby's orders, and had told Xander that he'd do a great job, getting a glare from Vida for his trouble. To make matters worse, Toby had said that he would be gone for at least three days, meaning that any number of fights could break out at any time between the green Minotaur and the pink Sprite over any trifle matter.

"Watching," Chip absently replied, his hazel-green eyes observing the action outside the window, not caring if he got the paperwork done; he was too interested in what was going on between Xander and Vida.

"Shit!" Chip suddenly exclaimed, startling Nick, who had never heard his friend curse before. Chip desperately moved from his position to another, and, on finding nothing, moved to another one, hoping to get his object of interest back.

"What exactly are you watching that has you so upset that you cursed?" Nick carefully questioned, picking his words with precision because he had no clue what Chip was spying on, or whom for that matter. Nick tried to get back to the form in front of him, but had a feeling that it would be very hard to do so after Chip's outburst.

Chip opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the sound of the door opening, which caused both young men to stop their tasks. Madison quickly stepped inside and, after quietly closing the door went over to Nick, giving him a kiss on the cheek in greeting. She then ran over to where Chip was, and after nodding to him where he should stand opened two blinds and began to observe what was going on outside, Chip following her actions.

"Maddie, what are you doing in here?" Nick questioned, knowing all concentration he had had on finishing his work was completely shot to hell thanks to his girlfriend. "Who's taking care of the customers?"

Madison looked back at Nick for a moment and responded, "I put the lunchtime sign up on the door, saying we'd be back in thirty minutes." She then returned to her observations, not noticing that Nick had moved beside her and casually draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Do we even have a lunchtime sign?" Nick questioned, his voice holding a suspicious tone to it. Madison once more looked up at her boyfriend and replied; "Now we do." She then returned to her spying once more.

Nick sighed and asked, "Chip, let me in on what you and my girlfriend are currently doing." Chip started on being asked for an explanation, and knowing that he wouldn't be able to do a good job nudged Madison, who, irritated at being interrupted from task at hand glared at him. On receiving another glare from Chip she sighed in resignation and, closing down her spying post turned to face Nick's curious gaze.

"The reason that I came in here, put up the sign on the door, and the reason that Chip and I are spying from in here is that Xander was flirting with Vida while she was mixing records at her DJ station. Vida put down her records and yelled back at him, something along the lines of him being an egotistical pig."

Nick rolled his eyes and replied, "I know that; what's so odd about that? Xander and Vida do that every day. It's their daily routine."

"That's just it; it's their daily routine," Chip added, closing down his post to look at Nick, giving him a look that screamed, "Duh."

"I still don't get it," Nick continued, removing his arm from around Madison's shoulders and crossing his arms, completely oblivious to Chip's look.

Madison sighed and said, "Nick, listen: Xander and my sister have a routine that they perform daily; sometimes more than once a day and sometimes just a one timer. Xander flirts with her, and she retaliates with scathing words that unknowingly wound both of them. However, today when I was watching them I saw Xander change the routine. Sure, he flirted with Vida and she shot back with her typical comments, but then he did something that left her speechless; he shifted the battlefield."

"How?" Nick asked, now in shock at hearing that Vida had been speechless, something he knew didn't happen too often. His interest piqued he moved to open two of the window blinds, and didn't notice as both Madison and Chip did the same. However, Nick was unable to spot Xander or Vida.

"Well…" Madison began but was interrupted when Chip gave a yelp of excitement, causing the two to look over at him.

"Chip, what's wrong?" Nick and Madison asked worriedly, both taking their eyes off the main store and focusing them on Chip.

"It's not what's wrong with the battlefield being shifted; it's what's right. It's what's routine," Chip replied. However, on getting confused looks from his friends he continued, "Xander and Vida have gone back to their routine, but with one small difference that has shifted the battlefield and changed the routine ever so slightly." Chip pulled on the string that controlled the blinds, opening them and revealing Xander and Vida arguing. Nick and Madison looked closely at the scene in front of them, and on getting what Chip had said nodded in agreement with Chip's statement.

Although Xander and Vida were angrily throwing insults at each other, hand gestures exemplifying their words, the difference lay in their appearance. Xander was sporting a dark purple kiss on his cheek (consequently the same shade of lipstick that Vida was wearing that day) and Vida had on a silver locket in the shape of phonograph (a fact that few but Xander knew: Vida loved phonographs). Things were certainly back to normal; in fact, they were back to the normal routine.