HELLO! This is the rewrite of "A Possibility"! I'm actually kind of proud of this, but y'know, that usually means it's just okay at best, so.

Anyway, this takes place right after the Season 2 finale/the morning after.

Morning light flooded the main hallway of Anubis House. Birds tweeted their morning songs in nearby trees. The smell of coffee permeated the air, as well as the scents of sizzling bacon and freshly baked muffins.

She sat on the second-to-last step, stomach empty but not crying for the food being prepared in the room over. She only stared into space, thinking of the night before, sparks lingering on her lips.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She didn't jump at the voice, only turned her head to see a barely-awake Fabian Rutter walking toward her, still in pajamas. With his plain white shirt and flannel pants, hair in full bedhead-mode and eyes still glazed with sleep, he looked cuter than ever.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," she teased with a smile.

Fabian grinned back at her, his tired eyes lighting up to that gorgeous blue that she fell head over heels for. He tilted his head toward the seat beside her, an unspoken question between them. She nodded and patted the spot welcomingly.

Once he had sat down, she leaned against him, a familiar position for them, despite having gotten together just the night before. He rested his head against her hair, taking in its lovely lavender aroma: It was just so Nina. "Why're you up so early?" he asked.

"It's not that early," she argued.

"Nina, it's seven-thirty. I know you can be an early bird when you want to, but you usually sleep in until ten if you can."

She scoffed at his words. "I do not sleep in that late." Then she sighed: He knew her too well.

"It's nothing."

Nina picked up her amulet, spinning it between her fingers. She stared into nothing once more as she once again immersed herself in her thoughts.

He saw her nervous fingers, noticed the downward tilt of her mouth - if it wasn't clear before, it was now: Something was bothering her.

"Hey," he said. He touched her arm and her fingers froze. She glanced over at him and started with how close he was, his eyes locked with hers.

"What's up?" His voice was gentle, soothing; he was always so calm in these situations.

"Just … thinking." Her eyes dropped to the ground.

"About?"

She hesitated for a second. Then, "Us."

Silence. She brushed her hair behind her ear and glanced up at him. His eyes were down, his face uncertain, confused and a little … sad?

"Do you … not want to be together?"

Nina blinked at him. "No, no, nonono! I want to stay together." She clasped his hand in hers and he met her gaze.

"I—I'm just worried that it was a spur of the moment thing, y'know? Like, we got together during Prom last year and that-it was great. And now we're back together after the exhibition party. And … I'm just worried that—that—"

"That this isn't going to last," he guessed.

She bobbed her head, a frown on her face. "I want to stay together, but this is the first time we won't see each other in months. Last time it was only a few weeks, but this time it's different."

Fabian took a shaky breath but squeezed her hand reassuringly. Their hands were knotted together, fitting together like two puzzle pieces, perfect. Was it too perfect?

He looked away from their hands and gave her a half smile.

"Well, we'll just stay in touch and call each other often, yeah?"

She smiled back at him, a smile that was more sad than reassured, one that didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah."

He said nothing for a moment, just taking her in: her naturally wild curls, that shy half-smile, her gorgeous hazel eyes that sparkled and mesmerized him with every look – after a year, he rationalized that he should be used to it all, but he never was. He saw the crease in her brow, the worry beneath her expression, and he wanted to fix it all, fix all her problems and make her happy. Words would only work for a time, he knew that, but … it would have to do for now.

Before Fabian could say anything else, though, footsteps thundered from above, heading toward the stairs.

"Out of the way, lovebirds! There's bacon with my name on it!" Patricia Williamson screeched.

Fabian and Nina jumped off the stair as Patricia barreled past. They exchanged an amused look and laughed.

He offered his hand to her and she took it with a small smile.

"We'll talk a bit more after breakfast, okay?" he assured her. "I'm sure our little bubble of quiet is completely gone after that."

She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

At that moment, her stomach rumbled and color rushed to her face. Fabian chuckled at her expression, just before his own stomach growled. They shared another look, this time one of equal embarrassment, then laughed together again. They walked to the kitchen, their hands intertwined, worries of the future gone. For now.

Expect Chapter 2 in the next few days.

~Ary

(While I officially posted it on October 11, I had to update it and add the Author's Note on October 12, but I'M STILL COUNTING IT. I KEPT MY PROMISE. I JUST...forget a few things... Anyway. Please review if you're feeling up to it! If you're not, well, I hope you have a nice day/night!)